Japanese symbol for “larvae”

幼生

ようせい

Romaji: yousei

larva; larvae

In Japanese, larvae is 幼生, read ようせい (yousei).

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

adj-na, adj-no, n larva; larvae

Kanji and stroke order

幼

infancy, childhood

on: ヨウ
kun: おさな.い

5 strokes · JLPT 2

生

life, genuine, birth

on: セイ、ショウ
kun: い.きる、い.かす、い.ける、う.まれる

5 strokes · JLPT 4

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
幼稚園	ようちえん youchien	kindergarten (in Japan, non-compulsory education from age 3 until primary school); preschool
幼児	ようじ youji	young child; toddler
幼なじみ	おさななじみ osananajimi	childhood friend; friend from infancy; old playmate
幼い	おさない osanai	very young; little
幼少	ようしょう youshou	infancy; childhood; tender age
幼稚	ようち youchi	infancy
生活	せいかつ seikatsu	life; living
先生	せんせい sensei	teacher; instructor; master

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.