Japanese symbol for “hollow”
洞
ほら
Romaji: hora
hollow; cavity; hole; cave
In Japanese, hollow is 洞, read ほら (hora).
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 hollow; cavity; hole; cave
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “hollow”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 凹み | くぼみ kubomi | hollow; cavity; dent |
| 空っぽ | からっぽ karappo | empty; vacant; hollow |
| 掘る | ほる horu | to dig; to excavate; to hollow |
| 中空 | ちゅうくう chuukuu | hollow |
| 空洞 | くうどう kuudou | cavity; hollow; cave |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 洞窟 | どうくつ doukutsu | cave; cavern; grotto |
| 洞察 | どうさつ dousatsu | discernment; insight |
| 空洞 | くうどう kuudou | cavity; hollow; cave |
| 洞穴 | ほらあな horaana | cave; cavern; den |
| 鍾乳洞 | しょうにゅうどう shounyuudou | limestone cave; limestone cavern |
| 風洞 | ふうどう fuudou | wind tunnel |
See also: Chinese symbol for “hollow”.
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.