Japanese symbol for “gear”
歯車
はぐるま
Romaji: haguruma
gear; cogwheel
In Japanese, gear is 歯車, read はぐるま (haguruma).
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 gear; cogwheel
- n cog (in an organization, company, etc.); cog in the machine
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “gear”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 速 | そく soku | gear; speed (e.g. 4-speed transmission) |
| ギア | ギア gia | gear |
| 索具 | さくぐ sakugu | rigging; gear; tackle |
| リギング | リギング rigingu | rigging; gear; tackle |
| 飛輪 | ひりん hirin | flywheel; gear |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 歯科 | しか shika | dentistry |
| 歯止め | はどめ hadome | brake; drag; skid |
| 虫歯 | むしば mushiba | tooth decay; decayed tooth; dental cavity |
| 歯ブラシ | はブラシ haburashi | toothbrush |
| 歯医者 | はいしゃ haisha | dentist |
| 車両 | しゃりょう sharyou | (wheeled) vehicle; car; (railroad) car |
| 電車 | でんしゃ densha | train; electric train |
| 自動車 | じどうしゃ jidousha | car; automobile; motorcar |
See also: Chinese symbol for “gear”.
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.