Japanese symbol for “copulation”
交尾
こうび
Romaji: koubi
copulation (among animals); mating; treading; covering
In Japanese, copulation is 交尾, read こうび (koubi).
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, vi, vs copulation (among animals); mating; treading; covering; serving
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “copulation”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 合体 | がったい gattai | sexual intercourse; copulation |
| 交接 | こうせつ kousetsu | copulation; mating |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 交換 | こうかん koukan | exchange; interchange; switching |
| 交通 | こうつう koutsuu | traffic; transportation |
| 交渉 | こうしょう koushou | negotiations; bargaining; discussions |
| 交流 | こうりゅう kouryuu | exchange (e.g. cultural); interchange; interaction |
| 外交 | がいこう gaikou | diplomacy |
| 交代 | こうたい koutai | change; alternation; rotation |
| 末尾 | まつび matsubi | end (e.g. of report, document, paragraph, etc.) |
| 尾根 | おね one | (mountain) ridge |
See also: Chinese symbol for “copulation”.
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.