Japanese symbol for “kimchi”

沈菜

キムチ

Romaji: kimuchi

kimchi; kimchee

In Japanese, kimchi is 沈菜, read キムチ (kimuchi).

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 kimchi; kimchee (food)

Kanji and stroke order

沈

sink, be submerged, subside

on: チン、ジン
kun: しず.む、しず.める

7 strokes · JLPT 2

菜

vegetable, side dish, greens

on: サイ
kun: な

11 strokes · JLPT 3

Other Japanese words for “kimchi”

Word	Reading	Meaning
朝鮮漬け	ちょうせんづけ chousenzuke	kimchi; kimchee

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
沈黙	ちんもく chinmoku	silence; being silent; quiet
沈没	ちんぼつ chinbotsu	sinking; foundering; going down
沈む	しずむ shizumu	to sink; to go under; to submerge
沈静	ちんせい chinsei	settling down; quieting down; cooling down
撃沈	げきちん gekichin	(attacking and) sinking (a ship); sending (a ship) to the bottom
沈着	ちんちゃく chinchaku	composure; calmness; self-possession
野菜	やさい yasai	vegetable
惣菜	そうざい souzai	small dish (served as a part of an ordinary household meal); side dish

See also: Chinese symbol for “kimchi”.

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.