King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “cell”

Romaji: saibou
cell

In Japanese, cell is , read (saibou).

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

  1. n cell (biol)
  2. n cell (in an organization, esp. a communist party)

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

dainty, get thin, taper
on: サイ
kun: ほそ.い、ほそ.る、こま.か、こま.かい
11 strokes · JLPT 2
placenta, sac, sheath
on: ホウ
9 strokes · JLPT 1

Other Japanese words for “cell”

WordReadingMeaning
でんち denchibattery; cell
セル serucell
おり oricage; pen; (jail) cell
ぼう bouchamber; room; cell (prison)
かんぼう kanbou(prison) cell; ward

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
しょうさい shousaidetails; particulars; specifics
こまかい komakaismall
さいきん saikinbacterium; bacteria; germ
ほそい hosoithin; slender; fine
せんさい sensaidainty; delicate (e.g. fingers); fine
どうほう douhoubrethren; brothers; fellow countrymen
ほうし houshispore
らんぽう ranpou(ovarian) follicle

See also: Chinese symbol for “cell”.

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.

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