Japanese symbol for “edge”
刃
は
Romaji: ha
edge (of a knife or sword); blade
In Japanese, edge is 刃, read は (ha).
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 edge (of a knife or sword); blade
- n prong (of an electrical plug)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “edge”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 角 | かど kado | corner; edge |
| 縁 | ふち fuchi | rim; brim; edge |
| 端 | はし hashi | end (e.g. of street); tip; point |
| 迫力 | はくりょく hakuryoku | impressiveness; impact; force |
| 耳 | みみ mimi | edge; crust; heel (of bread or cheese) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 刃物 | はもの hamono | edged tool; cutting instrument; knife |
| 刃先 | はさき hasaki | edge of blade |
| 刃渡り | はわたり hawatari | length of a blade |
| 刃傷 | にんじょう ninjou | bloodshed |
| 出刃 | でば deba | broad-bladed kitchen knife (for dressing fish) |
| 諸刃 | もろは moroha | double-edged (e.g. sword blade); double-beveled (e.g. kitchen knife) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “edge”.
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.