Japanese symbol for “giraffe”
麒麟
きりん
Romaji: kirin
giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis)
In Japanese, giraffe is 麒麟, read きりん (kirin).
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 giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis)
- n qilin (Chinese unicorn)
- n horse that can ride 1000 ri in a day
Written forms: 麒麟、騏驎. Readings: きりん、キリン.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “giraffe”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ジラフ | ジラフ jirafu | giraffe |
| 麒麟座 | きりんざ kirinza | Camelopardalis (constellation); the Giraffe |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 麒麟児 | きりんじ kirinji | child prodigy; wonder child |
| 麒麟血 | きりんけつ kirinketsu | dragon's blood palm (Daemonorops draco); bright red resin used in medicine, dyes, etc. |
| 麒麟草 | きりんそう kirinsou | Kamchatka stonecrop (Sedum kamtschaticum) |
| 麒麟菜 | きりんさい kirinsai | Eucheuma muricatum (species of red algae) |
| 麒麟座 | きりんざ kirinza | Camelopardalis (constellation); the Giraffe |
| 獲麟 | かくりん kakurin | the end of things (esp. used for one's last writings) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “giraffe”.
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.