Japanese symbol for “chew”
噛む
しがむ
Romaji: shigamu
to chew (strongly)
In Japanese, chew is 噛む, read しがむ (shigamu).
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
- v5m, vt to chew (strongly)
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 噛み付く | かみつく kamitsuku | to bite (at); to snap at |
| 噛み合う | かみあう kamiau | to mesh (of gears, cogs, etc.); to engage with each other; to meet (of teeth) |
| 噛み砕く | かみくだく kamikudaku | to crunch; to masticate |
| 歯噛み | はがみ hagami | grinding of the teeth; involuntary nocturnal tooth grinding; bruxism |
See also: Chinese symbol for “chew”.
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.