Japanese symbol for “martin”
燕
つばめ
Romaji: tsubame
swallow (bird of the Hirundinidae family); martin
In Japanese, martin is 燕, read つばめ (tsubame).
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 swallow (bird of the Hirundinidae family); martin
- n barn swallow (Hirundo rustica)
- n younger man involved with an older woman; boy toy
Written forms: 燕. Readings: つばめ、つばくらめ、つばくら、つばくろ.
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 飛燕 | ひえん hien | swallow in flight |
| 燕尾服 | えんびふく enbifuku | tailcoat |
| 燕返し | つばめがえし tsubamegaeshi | quickly reversed cut (sword technique) |
| 海燕 | うみつばめ umitsubame | storm petrel (any bird of family Hydrobatidae) |
| 燕雀 | えんじゃく enjaku | small bird (like a swallow or sparrow) |
| 燕青拳 | えんせいけん enseiken | Yangqingquan; Yangqing Fist |
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.