Japanese symbol for “hunchback”
猫背
ねこぜ
Romaji: nekoze
bent back; hunchback; stoop
In Japanese, hunchback is 猫背, read ねこぜ (nekoze).
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
- adj-na, adj-no, n bent back; hunchback; stoop
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “hunchback”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 傴僂 | せむし semushi | hunchback; humpback; crookback |
| 円背 | えんぱい enpai | hunchback; kyphosis |
| 佝僂 | くる kuru | person with rickets; hunchback |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 子猫 | こねこ koneko | kitten |
| 野良猫 | のらねこ noraneko | stray cat; alley cat |
| 山猫 | やまねこ yamaneko | wildcat (European wildcat, Iriomote cat, Tsushima cat, etc.) |
| 猫舌 | ねこじた nekojita | dislike of very hot food or drink; inability to take hot food; cat tongue |
| 招き猫 | まねきねこ manekineko | beckoning cat; figure of a cat with one paw raised (usu. white porcelain) |
| 背景 | はいけい haikei | background; scenery; backdrop |
| 背中 | せなか senaka | back (of the body) |
| 背後 | はいご haigo | back; rear |
See also: Chinese symbol for “hunchback”.
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.