Japanese symbol for “fluttering”
ひらひら
ひらひら
Romaji: hirahira
fluttering; flapping; waving
In Japanese, fluttering is ひらひら (hirahira).
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
- adv, adv-to, vs fluttering; flapping; waving
- adv, adv-to, vs flickering (light, flame, etc.)
- n frill; piece of thin material
Written forms: —. Readings: ひらひら、ヒラヒラ.
Other Japanese words for “fluttering”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| バタバタ | バタバタ batabata | flapping; rattling; fluttering |
| ときめき | ときめき tokimeki | beating (of the heart, with joy, excitement, etc.); palpitation; throbbing |
| ちらちら | ちらちら chirachira | falling lightly (e.g. snow, petals, confetti); fluttering |
| 羽音 | はおと haoto | flapping sound (of wings); fluttering; hum (of insects) |
| パタパタ | パタパタ patapata | flapping (of a flag, fan, etc.); fluttering; whack-whack (e.g. beating dust out of a rug) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “fluttering”.
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.