Japanese symbol for “hourglass”
砂時計
すなどけい
Romaji: sunadokei
hourglass; sandglass
In Japanese, hourglass is 砂時計, read すなどけい (sunadokei).
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 hourglass; sandglass
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “hourglass”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 砂漏 | さろう sarou | hourglass; sandglass |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 砂糖 | さとう satou | sugar |
| 砂漠 | さばく sabaku | desert |
| 砂浜 | すなはま sunahama | sandy beach |
| 土砂 | どしゃ dosha | sediment; earth and sand |
| 砂丘 | さきゅう sakyuu | sand dune; sand hill |
| 土砂降り | どしゃぶり doshaburi | downpour; pouring rain; heavy rain |
| 時間 | じかん jikan | time |
| 時代 | じだい jidai | period; epoch; era |
| 計画 | けいかく keikaku | plan; project; schedule |
See also: Chinese symbol for “hourglass”.
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.