Japanese symbol for “icy”
冷たい
つめたい
Romaji: tsumetai
cold (to the touch); chilly; icy; freezing
In Japanese, icy is 冷たい, read つめたい (tsumetai).
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-i cold (to the touch); chilly; icy; freezing
- adj-i (emotionally) cold; coldhearted; unfeeling; indifferent; unfriendly; distant
Written forms: 冷たい. Readings: つめたい、つべたい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “icy”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| アイシー | アイシー aishii | icy |
| ひゃっこい | ひゃっこい hyakkoi | cold; icy; chilly |
| ちべたい | ちべたい chibetai | cold (to the touch); chilly; icy |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 冷静 | れいせい reisei | calmness; composure; coolness |
| 冷蔵庫 | れいぞうこ reizouko | refrigerator; fridge |
| 冷凍 | れいとう reitou | freezing; cold storage; refrigeration |
| 冷戦 | れいせん reisen | cold war; the Cold War |
| 冷房 | れいぼう reibou | air conditioning; air cooling |
See also: Chinese symbol for “icy”.
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.