Japanese symbol for “comb”
櫛
くし
Romaji: kushi
comb
In Japanese, comb is 櫛, read くし (kushi).
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 comb
Written forms: 櫛. Readings: くし、クシ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “comb”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 解く | とく toku | to comb (out); to card; to untangle (hair) |
| コーム | コーム koomu | comb |
| 梳く | すく suku | to comb (out); to card; to untangle (hair) |
| 撫でる | なでる naderu | to comb (hair); to smooth down |
| 鶏冠 | とさか tosaka | cockscomb; comb; crest |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 櫛目 | くしめ kushime | (sign of) combing; comb pattern (esp. pottery) |
| 櫛比 | しっぴ shippi | standing (close together) in a row; lining (e.g. a street) |
| 解き櫛 | ときぐし tokigushi | wide-toothed comb |
| 櫛風沐雨 | しっぷうもくう shippuumokuu | struggling through wind and rain; undergoing hardships |
| 櫛風浴雨 | しっぷうよくう shippuuyokuu | struggling through wind and rain; undergoing hardships |
| 有櫛動物 | ゆうしつどうぶつ yuushitsudoubutsu | ctenophore (aquatic invertebrate of the phylum Ctenophora) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “comb”.
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.