Japanese symbol for “crouching”
蹲踞
そんきょ
Romaji: sonkyo
crouching; formal crouch performed at the beginning of a sumo or kendo match
In Japanese, crouching is 蹲踞, read そんきょ (sonkyo).
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, vs crouching; formal crouch performed at the beginning of a sumo or kendo match (sumo, MA)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “crouching”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 尻座 | こうざ kouza | sitting and hugging one's knees; sitting down; crouching |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 蹲る | うずくまる uzukumaru | to crouch; to squat; to cower |
| 蹲む | つくなむ tsukunamu | to squat; to crouch |
| 蹲う | つくばう tsukubau | to crouch; to squat |
| 蟠踞 | ばんきょ bankyo | becoming firmly established; putting down strong roots |
| 箕踞 | ききょ kikyo | sitting with one's legs outstretched |
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.