Japanese symbol for “dwarf”
小人
こびと
Romaji: kobito
little person (in folklore and fantasy, e.g. fairy, elf, gnome); little people; dwarf
In Japanese, dwarf is 小人, read こびと (kobito).
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 little person (in folklore and fantasy, e.g. fairy, elf, gnome); little people; dwarf
- n little person (i.e. a person with dwarfism); dwarf; midget
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “dwarf”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ドワーフ | ドワーフ dowaafu | dwarf (esp. in folklore or fantasy literature) |
| 一寸法師 | いっすんぼうし issunboushi | dwarf; midget; elf |
| 朱儒 | しゅじゅ shuju | dwarf |
| 矮人 | わいじん waijin | dwarf |
| 矮性 | わいせい waisei | dwarf; stunted; diminutive |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 小説 | しょうせつ shousetsu | novel; story; (work of) fiction |
| 小学校 | しょうがっこう shougakkou | primary school; elementary school; grade school |
| 小学生 | しょうがくせい shougakusei | elementary school student; primary school student; grade school student |
| 小型 | こがた kogata | small-sized; small-scale; miniature |
| 小さい | ちいさい chiisai | small; little; tiny |
| 縮小 | しゅくしょう shukushou | reduction; curtailment; cut |
| 人間 | にんげん ningen | human being; human; person |
| 個人 | こじん kojin | individual; private person; personal |
See also: Chinese symbol for “dwarf”.
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.