Japanese symbol for “entrapment”
絞扼
こうやく
Romaji: kouyaku
strangulation; constriction; entrapment
In Japanese, entrapment is 絞扼, read こうやく (kouyaku).
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, vs strangulation; constriction; entrapment (med)
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 絞り | しぼり shibori | shibori; tie-dye; tie-dyeing |
| 絞る | しぼる shiboru | to wring (towel, rag); to squeeze |
| 絞める | しめる shimeru | to strangle; to constrict |
| 絞首刑 | こうしゅけい koushukei | death by hanging; execution by hanging |
| 絞殺 | こうさつ kousatsu | strangling (to death); strangulation |
| 絞り込む | しぼりこむ shiborikomu | to squeeze; to wring out |
| 扼殺 | やくさつ yakusatsu | strangulation (with the hands or arms) |
| 切歯扼腕 | せっしやくわん sesshiyakuwan | being enraged (indignant, impatient); gnashing the teeth and clenching the arms on the breast (in anger or regret) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “entrapment”.
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.