Japanese symbol for “lactation”
哺乳
ほにゅう
Romaji: honyuu
suckling; nursing; lactation
In Japanese, lactation is 哺乳, read ほにゅう (honyuu).
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, vi, vs suckling; nursing; lactation
Written forms: 哺乳、ほ乳. Readings: ほにゅう.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “lactation”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 泌乳 | ひつにゅう hitsunyuu | lactation |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 哺乳類 | ほにゅうるい honyuurui | mammal; mammalian |
| 哺育 | ほいく hoiku | nursing (esp. an animal); suckling; (feeding and) raising |
| 反哺 | はんぽ hanpo | caring for one's parents in return |
| 哺乳動物 | ほにゅうどうぶつ honyuudoubutsu | mammal |
| 哺乳瓶 | ほにゅうびん honyuubin | baby bottle; nursing bottle; feeding bottle |
| 牛乳 | ぎゅうにゅう gyuunyuu | (cow's) milk |
| 乳首 | ちくび chikubi | nipple; teat |
| 乳児 | にゅうじ nyuuji | infant (below 1 year old); suckling baby |
See also: Chinese symbol for “lactation”.
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.