Japanese symbol for “minnow”
鮠
はや
Romaji: haya
minnow; shinner
In Japanese, minnow is 鮠, read はや (haya).
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 minnow; shinner
Written forms: 鮠、鰷. Readings: はや、はえ、はい.
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 油鮠 | あぶらはや aburahaya | Amur minnow (Phoxinus lagowskii steindachneri) |
| 高鮠 | たかはや takahaya | Chinese minnow (Phoxinus oxycephalus) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “minnow”.
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.