Japanese symbol for “clench”
食いしばる
くいしばる
Romaji: kuishibaru
to clench (one's teeth); to grit; to set; to clamp
In Japanese, clench is 食いしばる, read くいしばる (kuishibaru).
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
- v5r, vt to clench (one's teeth); to grit; to set; to clamp
Written forms: 食いしばる、食い縛る、喰い縛る、食縛る. Readings: くいしばる.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “clench”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| かみ合わせる | かみあわせる kamiawaseru | to clench (one's teeth); to grit |
| 食い合わす | くいあわす kuiawasu | to clench |
| 食い締める | くいしめる kuishimeru | to clench (one's teeth); to bite (one's lip) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 食事 | しょくじ shokuji | meal (e.g. lunch, dinner) |
| 食品 | しょくひん shokuhin | food; food products; foodstuffs |
| 食べ物 | たべもの tabemono | food |
| 食料 | しょくりょう shokuryou | food |
| 食べる | たべる taberu | to eat |
| 食う | くう kuu | to eat |
See also: Chinese symbol for “clench”.
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.