Japanese symbol for “chime”
鐘
かね
Romaji: kane
bell (often a large hanging bell); chime
In Japanese, chime is 鐘, read かね (kane).
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 bell (often a large hanging bell); chime
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “chime”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 鳴らす | ならす narasu | to ring; to sound; to chime |
| チャイム | チャイム chaimu | chime; bell (e.g. doorbell) |
| かん | かん kan | ding; chime (sound of a bell or a small gong) |
| キンコン | キンコン kinkon | ding-dong; chime |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 警鐘 | けいしょう keishou | alarm bell; fire bell |
| 鐘楼 | しょうろう shourou | belfry; bell tower |
| 釣鐘 | つりがね tsurigane | temple bell; hanging bell; funeral bell |
| 除夜の鐘 | じょやのかね joyanokane | temple bell rung 108 times on New Year's Eve |
| 半鐘 | はんしょう hanshou | fire alarm; fire bell |
| 梵鐘 | ぼんしょう bonshou | bonshō; Buddhist temple bell |
See also: Chinese symbol for “chime”.
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.