Japanese symbol for “cotton”
木綿
もめん
Romaji: momen
cotton (material)
In Japanese, cotton is 木綿, read もめん (momen).
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 cotton (material)
- n red silk-cotton tree (Bombax ceiba)
Written forms: 木綿、木棉. Readings: もめん、きわた.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “cotton”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 綿 | めん men | cotton |
| コットン | コットン kotton | cotton |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 木材 | もくざい mokuzai | lumber; timber; wood |
| 木造 | もくぞう mokuzou | wooden; made of wood; wooden construction |
| 木曜 | もくよう mokuyou | Thursday |
| 樹木 | じゅもく jumoku | tree; trees and shrubs |
| 青木 | あおき aoki | Japanese laurel (Aucuba japonica); spotted laurel |
| 並木 | なみき namiki | roadside trees; row of trees |
| 綿密 | めんみつ menmitsu | minute; detailed; careful |
| 綿花 | めんか menka | raw cotton; cotton wool |
See also: Chinese symbol for “cotton”.
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.