Japanese symbol for “lance”
槍
やり
Romaji: yari
spear; lance
In Japanese, lance is 槍, read やり (yari).
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 spear; lance
- n javelin
- n lance (shogi)
- n jeering
Written forms: 槍、鎗、鑓. Readings: やり.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “lance”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 香 | きょう kyou | lance |
| 矛 | ほこ hoko | long-handled Chinese spear; lance; pike |
| ランス | ランス ransu | lance |
| 銛 | もり mori | lance; harpoon |
| 香子 | きょうす kyousu | lance |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 横槍 | よこやり yokoyari | interruption; interference; butting in |
| 竹槍 | たけやり takeyari | bamboo spear |
| 槍玉 | やりだま yaridama | skilled control of a spear; stabbing (someone) with a spear |
| 一番槍 | いちばんやり ichiban'yari | the first to thrust a spear (at the enemy) |
| 槍術 | そうじゅつ soujutsu | spearmanship |
| 手槍 | てやり teyari | short spear; javelin |
See also: Chinese symbol for “lance”.
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.