Japanese symbol for “inlay”

象嵌

ぞうがん

Romaji: zougan

inlay; inlaying; damascening

In Japanese, inlay is 象嵌, read ぞうがん (zougan).

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, vs, vt inlay; inlaying; damascening

Written forms: 象嵌、象眼. Readings: ぞうがん.

Kanji and stroke order

象

elephant, pattern after, imitate

on: ショウ、ゾウ
kun: かたど.る

12 strokes · JLPT 2

嵌

go into, plunge, inlay

on: カン
kun: は.める、は.まる、あな

12 strokes

Other Japanese words for “inlay”

Word	Reading	Meaning
散りばめる	ちりばめる chiribameru	to inlay; to set; to stud (e.g. star-studded sky)
インレー	インレー inree	inlay
はめ込む	はめこむ hamekomu	to fit (e.g. a pane into a frame); to set (e.g. a diamond); to inlay

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
対象	たいしょう taishou	target; object (of worship, study, etc.); subject (of taxation, etc.)
印象	いんしょう inshou	impression
現象	げんしょう genshou	phenomenon
象徴	しょうちょう shouchou	symbol (of something abstract); emblem; (symbolic) representation
気象	きしょう kishou	weather (conditions)
気象庁	きしょうちょう kishouchou	(Japanese) Meteorological Agency; JMA
嵌める	はめる hameru	to fit (e.g. a pane into a frame); to insert (e.g. a cork); to fasten (a button)
嵌め込み	はめこみ hamekomi	insertion; inlaying

See also: Chinese symbol for “inlay”.

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.