Japanese symbol for “cuttlefish”
烏賊
いか
Romaji: ika
cuttlefish; squid
In Japanese, cuttlefish is 烏賊, read いか (ika).
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 cuttlefish; squid
Written forms: 烏賊、柔魚、鰞. Readings: イカ、いか.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “cuttlefish”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 墨魚 | ぼくぎょ bokugyo | cuttlefish; squid |
| 甲烏賊 | こういか kouika | golden cuttlefish (Sepia esculenta); cuttlefish (any species in the family Sepiidae) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 烏帽子 | えぼし eboshi | eboshi; black-lacquered headgear made of silk, cloth or paper, originally worn by court nobles in ancient Japan |
| 烏丸 | うがん ugan | Wuhuan (proto-Mongolic nomadic people) |
| 烏合 | うごう ugou | disorderly gathering |
| 烏天狗 | からすてんぐ karasutengu | small, crow-billed tengu |
| 烏口 | からすぐち karasuguchi | ruling pen |
| 海賊 | かいぞく kaizoku | pirate |
| 山賊 | さんぞく sanzoku | bandit; brigand |
| 盗賊 | とうぞく touzoku | thief; robber; burglar |
See also: Chinese symbol for “cuttlefish”.
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.