Japanese symbol for “ladle”
お玉
おたま
Romaji: otama
ladle
In Japanese, ladle is お玉, read おたま (otama).
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 ladle
- n (hen's) egg
Written forms: お玉、御玉. Readings: おたま.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “ladle”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 汲む | くむ kumu | to draw (water); to ladle; to dip up |
| 柄杓 | ひしゃく hishaku | ladle; dipper; scoop |
| 杓 | しゃく shaku | ladle; dipper |
| レードル | レードル reedoru | ladle |
| お玉じゃくし | おたまじゃくし otamajakushi | ladle |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 目玉 | めだま medama | eyeball |
| お年玉 | おとしだま otoshidama | New Year's gift (usu. money given to a child by relatives and visitors) |
| 埼玉 | さいたま saitama | Saitama (city, prefecture) |
| 替え玉 | かえだま kaedama | stand-in; proxy; substitute |
| 水玉 | みずたま mizutama | drop of water |
| 玉砕 | ぎょくさい gyokusai | honorable death; death without surrender; honorable defeat |
See also: Chinese symbol for “ladle”.
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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