Japanese symbol for “handicraft”
工作
こうさく
Romaji: kousaku
handicraft
In Japanese, handicraft is 工作, read こうさく (kousaku).
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, vs, vt handicraft
- n, vs, vt work; construction; manufacturing
- n, vs, vt maneuvering; manoeuvring
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “handicraft”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 手職 | てしょく teshoku | handicraft |
| 工芸品 | こうげいひん kougeihin | handicraft; industrial art object |
| 工作品 | こうさくひん kousakuhin | hand-made item; handicraft |
| 手細工 | てざいく tezaiku | handiwork; handicraft; homemade |
| 手作り品 | てづくりひん tezukurihin | hand-made item; handicraft |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 工場 | こうじょう koujou | factory; plant; mill |
| 工事 | こうじ kouji | construction work |
| 加工 | かこう kakou | manufacturing; processing; treatment |
| 人工 | じんこう jinkou | artificial; man-made; human work |
| 工業 | こうぎょう kougyou | (manufacturing) industry |
| 作る | つくる tsukuru | to make; to produce; to manufacture |
| 作品 | さくひん sakuhin | work (e.g. book, film, painting, composition); piece; production |
| 作業 | さぎょう sagyou | work; operation; task |
See also: Chinese symbol for “handicraft”.
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.