King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “confining”

Romaji: semai
narrow; confined; small; cramped

In Japanese, confining is , read (semai).

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. adj-i narrow; confined; small; cramped
  2. adj-i limited; narrow-minded; confining

Kanji and stroke order

cramped, narrow, contract
on: キョウ、コウ
kun: せま.い、せば.める、せば.まる、さ
9 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “confining”

WordReadingMeaning
てんばく tenbakubinding firmly; restraining; restricting

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
はざま hazamagap; narrow space between things; interstice
へんきょう henkyounarrow-mindedness; intolerance; illiberality
せばめる sebameruto narrow; to reduce; to contract
きょうしんしょう kyoushinshouangina pectoris
てぜま tezemanarrow; small; cramped

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.

Last posts

  1. Choosing the Best Wooden Tanto for Realistic Knife Drills
  2. What Is a Suburito and Is It Worth Buying for Strength
  3. Buying a Wooden Wakizashi for Two-Sword Practice
  4. Buying Chanbara Swords for Sparring and Competition
  5. What Size Shinai Does a Child Need for Kendo Practice
  6. Best Polypropylene Bokken for Hard Contact Training
  7. Best Foam Swords for Kids Martial Arts and Safe Practice
  8. Are Cold Steel Training Swords Good for Practice
  9. Shinai Maintenance and Essential Tools for Bamboo Care
  10. Best Shinai for Kendo Beginners Choosing Your First Sword