Japanese symbol for “frost”
霜
しも
Romaji: shimo
frost
In Japanese, frost is 霜, read しも (shimo).
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 frost
- n white hair; grey hair; gray hair
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “frost”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 擦る | する suru | to rub; to chafe; to strike (match) |
| フロスト | フロスト furosuto | frost |
| 結氷 | けっぴょう keppyou | freezing (over); ice; frost |
| 凍寒 | とうかん toukan | frost; bitter cold |
| 降霜 | こうそう kousou | frost formation; frost |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 霜降り | しもふり shimofuri | speckled with white; salt-and-pepper (pattern, fabric, etc.) |
| 霜月 | しもつき shimotsuki | eleventh month of the lunar calendar |
| 早霜 | はやじも hayajimo | early frost |
| 星霜 | せいそう seisou | years; time |
| 幾星霜 | いくせいそう ikuseisou | many months and years |
| 霜降 | そうこう soukou | "frost descent" solar term (approx. October 23) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “frost”.
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.