Japanese symbol for “dorsal”
舌背音
ぜっぱいおん
Romaji: zeppaion
dorsal; dorsal consonant
In Japanese, dorsal is 舌背音, read ぜっぱいおん (zeppaion).
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 dorsal; dorsal consonant (ling)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “dorsal”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 背側 | はいそく haisoku | dorsal |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 毒舌 | どくぜつ dokuzetsu | wicked tongue; sharp tongue; abusive language |
| 舌打ち | したうち shitauchi | clicking one's tongue; tut-tut |
| 弁舌 | べんぜつ benzetsu | speech; eloquence; manner of speaking |
| 二枚舌 | にまいじた nimaijita | double-dealing; duplicity; equivocation |
| 饒舌 | じょうぜつ jouzetsu | talkativeness; garrulity; loquacity |
| 舌戦 | ぜっせん zessen | war of words |
| 背景 | はいけい haikei | background; scenery; backdrop |
| 背中 | せなか senaka | back (of the body) |
| 音楽 | おんがく ongaku | music |
See also: Chinese symbol for “dorsal”.
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.