Japanese symbol for “captivity”
囚われ
とらわれ
Romaji: toraware
captivity; imprisonment
In Japanese, captivity is 囚われ, read とらわれ (toraware).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n captivity; imprisonment
Written forms: 囚われ、捕らわれ、捕われ. Readings: とらわれ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “captivity”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 捕囚 | ほしゅう hoshuu | captivity |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 囚人 | しゅうじん shuujin | prisoner; convict |
| 囚われる | とらわれる torawareru | to be caught; to be captured; to be taken prisoner |
| 女囚 | じょしゅう joshuu | female prisoner; female convict |
| 虜囚 | りょしゅう ryoshuu | captive; prisoner (of war) |
| 死刑囚 | しけいしゅう shikeishuu | criminal condemned to death; convict on death row |
See also: Chinese symbol for “captivity”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.