Japanese symbol for “etch”
刻む
きざむ
Romaji: kizamu
to mince; to cut fine; to chop up; to hash
In Japanese, etch is 刻む, read きざむ (kizamu).
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
- v5m, vt to mince; to cut fine; to chop up; to hash; to shred
- v5m, vt to carve; to engrave; to chisel; to notch
- v5m, vt to tick away (time); to beat out (e.g. rhythm); to record the passing moments
- v5m, vt to etch (into one's mind); to remember distinctly
- v5m, vt to have tattooed
- v5m, vt to torment
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “etch”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 刻み込む | きざみこむ kizamikomu | to etch (name, etc.); to carve (design) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 深刻 | しんこく shinkoku | serious; severe; grave |
| 時刻 | じこく jikoku | time; (the) hour |
| 彫刻 | ちょうこく choukoku | carving; engraving; sculpture |
| 遅刻 | ちこく chikoku | lateness; tardiness; arriving late |
| 一刻 | いっこく ikkoku | a moment; a minute; an instant |
See also: Chinese symbol for “etch”.
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.
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