Japanese symbol for “hand”
手
て
Romaji: te
hand; arm
In Japanese, hand is 手, read て (te).
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 hand; arm
- n forepaw; foreleg
- n handle
- n hand; worker; help
- n trouble; care; effort
- n means; way; trick; move; technique; workmanship
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “hand”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 手渡す | てわたす tewatasu | to hand (over); to deliver in person |
| 針 | はり hari | hand (e.g. clock, etc.); pointer |
| 指針 | ししん shishin | needle (compass, gauge, etc.); hand (clock); indicator |
| ハンド | ハンド hando | hand |
| 役 | やく yaku | scoring combination; hand; yaku |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 相手 | あいて aite | companion; partner; company |
| 選手 | せんしゅ senshu | player (of a sport); athlete; team member |
| 手段 | しゅだん shudan | means; way; method |
| 手術 | しゅじゅつ shujutsu | surgery; operation; procedure |
| 大手 | おおて oote | major company; big company |
| 手紙 | てがみ tegami | letter; note |
See also: Chinese symbol for “hand”.
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.
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