Japanese symbol for “casket”
棺
かん
Romaji: kan
coffin; casket
In Japanese, casket is 棺, read かん (kan).
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 coffin; casket
Written forms: 棺、柩. Readings: かん、ひつぎ、きゅう.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “casket”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 棺桶 | かんおけ kan'oke | coffin; casket |
| 入れ物 | いれもの iremono | coffin; casket |
| 霊柩 | れいきゅう reikyuu | coffin; casket |
| カスケット | カスケット kasuketto | casket (ornamental box) |
| 寝棺 | ねかん nekan | coffin; casket |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 石棺 | せっかん sekkan | sarcophagus; stone coffin |
| 棺桶 | かんおけ kan'oke | coffin; casket |
| 納棺 | のうかん noukan | placing a body in a coffin |
| 出棺 | しゅっかん shukkan | carrying out a coffin; funeral procession |
| 入棺 | にゅうかん nyuukan | placing in the coffin |
| 寝棺 | ねかん nekan | coffin; casket |
See also: Chinese symbol for “casket”.
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.