Japanese symbol for “hitman”
鉄砲玉
てっぽうだま
Romaji: teppoudama
bullet; round; gunshot
In Japanese, hitman is 鉄砲玉, read てっぽうだま (teppoudama).
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 bullet; round; gunshot
- n lost messenger; truant messenger; non-returner
- n bull's-eye (candy)
- n hitman; hired killer
Written forms: 鉄砲玉、鉄砲弾. Readings: てっぽうだま.
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 鉄道 | てつどう tetsudou | railroad; railway; rail transport |
| 地下鉄 | ちかてつ chikatetsu | subway; metro; underground (railway) |
| 国鉄 | こくてつ kokutetsu | national railway |
| 鉄骨 | てっこつ tekkotsu | steel frame; steel beam; steel girder |
| 鉄筋 | てっきん tekkin | rebar; (iron) reinforcing bar; reinforcing steel |
| 私鉄 | してつ shitetsu | private railway |
| 大砲 | たいほう taihou | (large) gun; cannon; artillery |
| 鉄砲 | てっぽう teppou | gun; firearm |
| 目玉 | めだま medama | eyeball |
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.