Japanese symbol for “gan”
雁
がん
Romaji: gan
Gan
In Japanese, gan is 雁, read がん (gan).
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 Gan
- n The Wild Geese (1913 novel by Mori Ōgai)
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 雁首 | かりくび karikubi | corona of glans penis; corona glandis penis |
| 落雁 | らくがん rakugan | rakugan; dry confection of starch (e.g. rice, soy or barley flour) and sugar, mixed and pressed into a pattern |
| 雁字搦め | がんじがらめ ganjigarame | binding (someone) hand and foot |
| 雁木 | がんぎ gangi | zigzag pattern; zigzag formation |
| 雁行 | がんこう gankou | the flight formation of geese; lining up shoulder to shoulder like flying geese; leading out |
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.