Japanese symbol for “gallows”
絞首台
こうしゅだい
Romaji: koushudai
gallows
In Japanese, gallows is 絞首台, read こうしゅだい (koushudai).
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 gallows
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “gallows”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 十三階段 | じゅうさんかいだん juusankaidan | gallows |
| 処刑台 | しょけいだい shokeidai | scaffold; gallows |
| 死刑台 | しけいだい shikeidai | scaffold; gallows |
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 |
| 首相 | しゅしょう shushou | prime minister; chancellor (Germany, Austria, etc.); premier |
| 首都 | しゅと shuto | (national) capital (city); metropolis |
| 舞台 | ぶたい butai | stage (of a theatre, concert hall, etc.) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “gallows”.
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.