Japanese symbol for “germ”
細菌
さいきん
Romaji: saikin
bacterium; bacteria; germ
In Japanese, germ is 細菌, read さいきん (saikin).
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 bacterium; bacteria; germ
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “germ”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 微生物 | びせいぶつ biseibutsu | microbe; germ |
| 菌 | きん kin | germ; bacterium; bacillus |
| ばい菌 | ばいきん baikin | germ; germs; bacteria |
| 病原菌 | びょうげんきん byougenkin | pathogenic bacteria; germ; pathogen |
| 萌芽 | ほうが houga | germination; germ; sprout |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 詳細 | しょうさい shousai | details; particulars; specifics |
| 細胞 | さいぼう saibou | cell |
| 細かい | こまかい komakai | small |
| 細い | ほそい hosoi | thin; slender; fine |
| 繊細 | せんさい sensai | dainty; delicate (e.g. fingers); fine |
| 殺菌 | さっきん sakkin | sterilization; sterilisation; disinfection |
| 無菌 | むきん mukin | sterilised; sterilized; sterile |
| 抗菌 | こうきん koukin | antibacterial; antimicrobial |
See also: Chinese symbol for “germ”.
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.