King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “knot”

Romaji: setsu
occasion; time

In Japanese, knot is , read (setsu).

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

  1. n occasion; time
  2. n section (of a literary work or piece of music); passage; paragraph; verse; stanza
  3. n clause (gramm)
  4. n season; term
  5. n one's principles; integrity
  6. n node (of a plant stem) (bot)

Kanji and stroke order

node, season, period
on: セツ、セチ
kun: ふし、-ぶし、のっと
13 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “knot”

WordReadingMeaning
むすび musubiknot; knotting
けっせつ kessetsuknot; nodule; tubercule
くくり kukuriknot; tying
むすびめ musubimeknot
ふしめ fushimeknot (in a tree, etc.)

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
きせつ kisetsuseason; time of year
せつやく setsuyakusaving (e.g. time, money, resources); economising; economizing
かんせつ kansetsujoint
ちょうせつ chousetsuregulation; adjustment; control
しせつ shisetsuenvoy; ambassador; delegate
ふしめ fushimeturning point; critical juncture

See also: Chinese symbol for “knot”.

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.

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