Japanese symbol for “gouge”
抉る
えぐる
Romaji: eguru
to gouge; to hollow out; to bore; to excavate
In Japanese, gouge is 抉る, read えぐる (eguru).
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 gouge; to hollow out; to bore; to excavate; to scoop out
- v5r, vt to greatly perturb; to cause emotional pain
- v5r, vt to get to the bottom of things; to relentlessly bring the truth to light
Written forms: 抉る、刳る、剔る. Readings: えぐる、くる.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “gouge”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 丸のみ | まるのみ marunomi | gouge; scorper; scauper |
| ゴージ | ゴージ gooji | gouge (tool) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 剔抉 | てっけつ tekketsu | gouging out |
| 抉れる | えぐれる egureru | to be gouged; to be hollowed; to become hollow |
| 抉じる | こじる kojiru | to pry (open); to prise; to wrench |
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.