Japanese symbol for “hangman”

絞刑吏

こうけいり

Romaji: koukeiri

hangman

In Japanese, hangman is 絞刑吏, read こうけいり (koukeiri).

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 hangman

Kanji and stroke order

絞

strangle, constrict, wring

on: コウ
kun: しぼ.る、し.める、し.まる

12 strokes · JLPT 1

刑

punish, penalty, sentence

on: ケイ

6 strokes · JLPT 1

吏

officer, an official

on: リ

6 strokes · JLPT 1

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
絞り	しぼり shibori	shibori; tie-dye; tie-dyeing
絞る	しぼる shiboru	to wring (towel, rag); to squeeze
絞める	しめる shimeru	to strangle; to constrict
絞首刑	こうしゅけい koushukei	death by hanging; execution by hanging
絞殺	こうさつ kousatsu	strangling (to death); strangulation
絞り込む	しぼりこむ shiborikomu	to squeeze; to wring out
刑事	けいじ keiji	(police) detective
死刑	しけい shikei	death penalty; capital punishment
官吏	かんり kanri	government official; public servant; civil servant

See also: Chinese symbol for “hangman”.

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.