Japanese symbol for “gnaw”
齧る
かじる
Romaji: kajiru
to gnaw; to nibble; to bite; to munch
In Japanese, gnaw is 齧る, read かじる (kajiru).
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
- v5r, vt to gnaw; to nibble; to bite; to munch; to crunch
- v5r, vt to dabble in; to know a little bit about; to learn a little of; to have a smattering of
Written forms: 齧る、囓る、噛る、噛じる. Readings: かじる.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “gnaw”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 噛む | かむ kamu | to chew; to gnaw; to masticate |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 齧り付く | かぶりつく kaburitsuku | to bite into; to sink one's teeth into |
| 脛齧り | すねかじり sunekajiri | sponger (e.g. off one's parents); hanger-on; freeloader |
| 食い齧る | くいかじる kuikajiru | to nibble at |
| 齧歯動物 | げっしどうぶつ gesshidoubutsu | gnawing animal |
| 齧歯 | げっし gesshi | rodent |
See also: Chinese symbol for “gnaw”.
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.