Japanese symbol for “crab”
蟹
かに
Romaji: kani
crab
In Japanese, crab is 蟹, read かに (kani).
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 crab
Written forms: 蟹、蠏. Readings: かに、カニ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “crab”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| クラブ | クラブ kurabu | crab |
| かに座 | かにざ kaniza | Cancer (constellation); the Crab |
| 巨蟹宮 | きょかいきゅう kyokaikyuu | Cancer (4th zodiacal sign); the Crab |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 蟹工船 | かにこうせん kanikousen | crab-canning boat |
| 毛蟹 | けがに kegani | horsehair crab (Erimacrus isenbeckii); hairy crab |
| 沢蟹 | さわがに sawagani | Japanese freshwater crab (Geothelphusa dehaani) |
| 弁慶蟹 | べんけいがに benkeigani | Sesarmops intermedium (species of grapsoid crab) |
| 兜蟹 | かぶとがに kabutogani | horseshoe crab |
| 高足蟹 | たかあしがに takaashigani | Japanese spider crab (Macrocheira kaempferi); giant spider crab |
See also: Chinese symbol for “crab”.
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.