Japanese symbol for “catfish”
鯰
なまず
Romaji: namazu
catfish (esp. the Amur catfish, Silurus asotus)
In Japanese, catfish is 鯰, read なまず (namazu).
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 catfish (esp. the Amur catfish, Silurus asotus)
- n earthquake
Written forms: 鯰. Readings: なまず、ナマズ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “catfish”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| キャットフィッシュ | キャットフィッシュ kyattofisshu | catfish |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 瓢箪鯰 | ひょうたんなまず hyoutannamazu | (person) slippery as an eel |
| 電気鯰 | でんきなまず denkinamazu | electric catfish (any species of family Malapteruridae, esp. species Malapterurus electricus) |
| 痺鯰 | しびれなまず shibirenamazu | electric catfish (any species of family Malapteruridae, esp. species Malapterurus electricus) |
| 逆さ鯰 | さかさなまず sakasanamazu | upside-down catfish (Synodontis nigriventris) |
| 鯰絵 | なまずえ namazue | woodblock print depicting a giant catfish (popular in Edo after the 1855 earthquake) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “catfish”.
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.