Japanese symbol for “excavation”
発掘
はっくつ
Romaji: hakkutsu
excavation; exhumation; digging up; unearthing
In Japanese, excavation is 発掘, read はっくつ (hakkutsu).
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, vt excavation; exhumation; digging up; unearthing
- n, vs, vt discovery (of a new fact, talent, etc.); finding; unearthing
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “excavation”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 掘削 | くっさく kussaku | digging out; excavation |
| 開削 | かいさく kaisaku | excavation; cutting; digging |
| 根切り | ねぎり negiri | excavation (as preparation for construction) |
| 削進 | さくしん sakushin | excavation (esp. of a tunnel); drivage |
| 穴掘り | あなほり anahori | excavation; digging |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 発売 | はつばい hatsubai | sale; offering for sale; putting on sale |
| 発表 | はっぴょう happyou | announcement; publication; presenting |
| 開発 | かいはつ kaihatsu | development; cultivation; application |
| 発生 | はっせい hassei | occurrence; incidence; outbreak |
| 発見 | はっけん hakken | discovery; detection; finding |
| 発言 | はつげん hatsugen | statement; remark; observation |
| 掘る | ほる horu | to dig; to excavate; to hollow |
| 採掘 | さいくつ saikutsu | mining; digging; working (a mine) |
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.