Japanese symbol for “contain”
含む
ふくむ
Romaji: fukumu
to contain; to comprise; to have; to hold
In Japanese, contain is 含む, read ふくむ (fukumu).
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 contain; to comprise; to have; to hold; to include; to embrace
- v5m, vt to hold in the mouth
- v5m, vt to bear in mind; to understand; to harbor (grudge, etc.); to harbour
- v5m, vt to express (emotion, etc.); to imply
Written forms: 含む、銜む. Readings: ふくむ、くくむ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “contain”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 抑える | おさえる osaeru | to hold back (e.g. an enemy); to check; to curb |
| 宿す | やどす yadosu | to house; to contain; to harbour (a feeling) |
| 押さえる | おさえる osaeru | to quell; to subdue; to suppress |
| 収める | おさめる osameru | to include (in an anthology, catalogue, etc.); to contain; to publish (in) |
| 飲み込む | のみこむ nomikomu | to be filled with (people); to contain |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 含み | ふくみ fukumi | implication; hidden meaning; latitude |
| 含有 | がんゆう gan'yuu | containing (an ingredient, mineral, etc.) |
| 包含 | ほうがん hougan | inclusion; comprehension; implication |
| 含蓄 | がんちく ganchiku | implication; significance; connotation |
| 含める | ふくめる fukumeru | to include (in a group or scope) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “contain”.
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.