Japanese symbol for “gills”
鰓
えら
Romaji: era
gills; branchia
In Japanese, gills is 鰓, read えら (era).
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 gills; branchia
- n angle of the mandible; gonial angle
Written forms: 鰓、腮、顋. Readings: えら、エラ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “gills”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 顎門 | あぎと agito | gills; branchia |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 弁鰓類 | べんさいるい bensairui | lamellibranches (i.e. bivalves) |
| 鰓蓋 | えらぶた erabuta | gill cover; operculum |
| 鰓孔 | えらあな eraana | gill slit |
| 鰓裂 | さいれつ sairetsu | gill slit |
| 腸鰓類 | ちょうさいるい chousairui | enteropneusts (hemichordates of class Enteropneusta) |
| 翼鰓類 | よくさいるい yokusairui | pterobranchs (hemichordates of class Pterobranchia) |
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.