Japanese symbol for “ebony”
黒檀
こくたん
Romaji: kokutan
ebony
In Japanese, ebony is 黒檀, read こくたん (kokutan).
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 ebony
Written forms: 黒檀、黒壇. Readings: こくたん.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “ebony”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| エボニー | エボニー ebonii | ebony |
| 烏木 | うぼく uboku | ebony |
| 烏文木 | うぶんぼく ubunboku | ebony |
| エボニー色 | エボニーいろ eboniiiro | ebony (color) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 黒人 | こくじん kokujin | black person |
| 黒い | くろい kuroi | black |
| 黒字 | くろじ kuroji | (being in) the black; surplus |
| 黒板 | こくばん kokuban | blackboard |
| 暗黒 | あんこく ankoku | darkness |
| 白黒 | しろくろ shirokuro | black and white; monochrome |
| 檀家 | だんか danka | family which supports a temple; parishioner |
| 白檀 | びゃくだん byakudan | Indian sandalwood (Santalum album); white sandalwood |
See also: Chinese symbol for “ebony”.
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.