Japanese symbol for “kemp”

死毛

しもう

Romaji: shimou

kemp

In Japanese, kemp is 死毛, read しもう (shimou).

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 kemp

Kanji and stroke order

死

death, die

on: シ
kun: し.ぬ、し.に-

6 strokes · JLPT 3

毛

fur, hair, feather

on: モウ
kun: け

4 strokes · JLPT 2

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
死亡	しぼう shibou	death; dying; mortality
必死	ひっし hisshi	frantic; frenetic; desperate
死刑	しけい shikei	death penalty; capital punishment
死者	ししゃ shisha	dead person; (the) deceased; (the) dead
死体	したい shitai	dead body; corpse; cadaver
死去	しきょ shikyo	death; decease; passing away
髪の毛	かみのけ kaminoke	hair (on the head); (a) hair
毛布	もうふ moufu	blanket

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.