Japanese symbol for “lay”

生む

うむ

Romaji: umu

to give birth; to bear (child); to lay (eggs)

In Japanese, lay is 生む, read うむ (umu).

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

v5m, vt to give birth; to bear (child); to lay (eggs)
v5m, vt to produce; to yield; to give rise to; to deliver

Written forms: 生む、産む. Readings: うむ.

Kanji and stroke order

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

Other Japanese words for “lay”

Word	Reading	Meaning
据える	すえる sueru	to place (in position); to fix; to set (e.g. table)
積み上げる	つみあげる tsumiageru	to pile up; to make a heap; to lay (e.g. bricks)
掛ける	かける kakeru	to put on (e.g. a blanket); to put on top of; to cover
敷き詰める	しきつめる shikitsumeru	to cover a surface; to spread all over; to blanket
着せる	きせる kiseru	to pin (e.g. a crime on someone); to lay (blame); to charge (with an offence)

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
生活	せいかつ seikatsu	life; living
先生	せんせい sensei	teacher; instructor; master
人生	じんせい jinsei	(one's) life
学生	がくせい gakusei	student (esp. a university student)
発生	はっせい hassei	occurrence; incidence; outbreak
誕生	たんじょう tanjou	birth (of a person); nativity