Japanese symbol for “liver”
肝
きも
Romaji: kimo
liver; innards
In Japanese, liver is 肝, read きも (kimo).
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 liver; innards
- n courage; spirit; pluck; guts
- n crux; essential point; key
Written forms: 肝、胆. Readings: きも、たん、キモ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “liver”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 肝臓 | かんぞう kanzou | liver |
| レバー | レバー rebaa | liver |
| リバー | リバー ribaa | liver |
| 胆 | い i | gallbladder; liver |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 肝心 | かんじん kanjin | essential; important; crucial |
| 肝臓 | かんぞう kanzou | liver |
| 肝炎 | かんえん kan'en | hepatitis |
| 肝硬変 | かんこうへん kankouhen | cirrhosis (of the liver) |
| 肝要 | かんよう kan'you | extremely important; essential; vital |
| 度肝 | どぎも dogimo | guts; pluck; nerve |
See also: Chinese symbol for “liver”.
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.