Japanese symbol for “hippo”
河馬
かば
Romaji: kaba
hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius); hippo
In Japanese, hippo is 河馬, read かば (kaba).
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 hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius); hippo
Written forms: 河馬. Readings: かば、カバ.
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 銀河 | ぎんが ginga | Milky Way |
| 河川 | かせん kasen | rivers |
| 大河 | たいが taiga | large river |
| 河原 | かわら kawara | dry riverbed; river beach |
| 運河 | うんが unga | (navigable) canal; waterway |
| 河口 | かこう kakou | mouth of river; estuary |
| 競馬 | けいば keiba | horse racing |
| 馬鹿 | ばか baka | idiot; moron; fool |
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.