Japanese symbol for “engaging”
掛かり
かかり
Romaji: kakari
starting (e.g. of an engine); engaging (e.g. of a lock)
In Japanese, engaging is 掛かり, read かかり (kakari).
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 starting (e.g. of an engine); engaging (e.g. of a lock)
- n expenses; costs
- n attack (esp. a corner approach) (go)
- n barb (of a fish hook)
- n charge; duty; person in charge; official; clerk
Written forms: 掛かり、掛り、懸かり、懸り. Readings: かかり、カカリ.
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 掛け | かけ kake | credit |
| 仕掛け | しかけ shikake | device; contrivance; mechanism |
| 掛ける | かける kakeru | to hang up (e.g. a coat, a picture on the wall); to let hang; to suspend (from) |
| 掛け軸 | かけじく kakejiku | hanging scroll |
| 掛かる | かかる kakaru | to take (a resource, e.g. time or money) |
| 掛け声 | かけごえ kakegoe | shout (of encouragement, etc.); yell (used to time or encourage activity, e.g. "Heave ho!") |
See also: Chinese symbol for “engaging”.
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.