Japanese symbol for “kappa”
河童
かっぱ
Romaji: kappa
kappa; mythical water-dwelling creature
In Japanese, kappa is 河童, read かっぱ (kappa).
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 kappa; mythical water-dwelling creature
- n excellent swimmer
- n cucumber
- n cucumber sushi wrapped in nori
Written forms: 河童. Readings: かっぱ、カッパ、かわっぱ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “kappa”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 河太郎 | かわたろう kawatarou | kappa (mythical water-dwelling creature) |
| Κ | カッパ kappa | kappa |
| 河伯 | かはく kahaku | kappa (mythical water-dwelling creature) |
| 猿猴 | えんこう enkou | kappa |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 銀河 | ぎんが ginga | Milky Way |
| 河川 | かせん kasen | rivers |
| 大河 | たいが taiga | large river |
| 河原 | かわら kawara | dry riverbed; river beach |
| 運河 | うんが unga | (navigable) canal; waterway |
| 河口 | かこう kakou | mouth of river; estuary |
| 児童 | じどう jidou | children; juvenile |
| 童話 | どうわ douwa | children's story; fairy tale |
See also: Chinese symbol for “kappa”.
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.