Japanese symbol for “carve”
彫る
ほる
Romaji: horu
to carve; to engrave; to sculpt; to chisel
In Japanese, carve is 彫る, read ほる (horu).
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
- v5r, vt to carve; to engrave; to sculpt; to chisel
- v5r, vt to tattoo
Written forms: 彫る、雕る、鐫る. Readings: ほる、える.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “carve”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 刻む | きざむ kizamu | to carve; to engrave; to chisel |
| 切り分ける | きりわける kiriwakeru | to cut and divide; to cut up; to cut into pieces |
| くり抜く | くりぬく kurinuku | to gouge out; to excavate; to hollow |
| 刻み込む | きざみこむ kizamikomu | to etch (name, etc.); to carve (design) |
| 彫りつける | ほりつける horitsukeru | to carve (design) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 彫刻 | ちょうこく choukoku | carving; engraving; sculpture |
| 浮き彫り | うきぼり ukibori | relief; embossed carving |
| 彫像 | ちょうぞう chouzou | (carved) statue; sculpture |
| 木彫り | きぼり kibori | wood carving; woodcraft |
| 木彫 | もくちょう mokuchou | wood carving; wooden sculpture; woodcraft |
See also: Chinese symbol for “carve”.
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.