Japanese symbol for “dragonfly”
蜻蛉
とんぼ
Romaji: tonbo
dragonfly
In Japanese, dragonfly is 蜻蛉, read とんぼ (tonbo).
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 dragonfly
Written forms: 蜻蛉、蜻蜓、蜻蜒. Readings: とんぼ、とんぼう、トンボ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “dragonfly”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 秋津 | あきつ akitsu | dragonfly |
| 麦藁蜻蛉 | むぎわらとんぼ mugiwaratonbo | dragonfly |
| 勝ち虫 | かちむし kachimushi | dragonfly |
| 蜉蝣 | かげろう kagerou | dragonfly |
| 蜻蜒 | やんま yanma | dragonfly (esp. a large one) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 塩辛蜻蛉 | しおからとんぼ shiokaratonbo | Orthetrum albistylum speciosum (subspecies of white-tailed skimmer) |
| 麦藁蜻蛉 | むぎわらとんぼ mugiwaratonbo | dragonfly |
| 川蜻蛉 | かわとんぼ kawatonbo | broad-winged damselfly (of family Calopterygidae) |
| 蜻蜒 | やんま yanma | darner (any dragonfly of family Aeshnidae); devil's darning needle |
| 鬼蜻蜓 | おにやんま oniyanma | Siebold's dragonfly (Anotogaster sieboldii); jumbo dragonfly |
| 螟蛉 | めいれい meirei | hornworm |
| 蛇蜻蛉 | へびとんぼ hebitonbo | dobsonfly (esp. species Protohermes grandis) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “dragonfly”.
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.