Japanese symbol for “moat”
堀
ほり
Romaji: hori
moat; fosse
In Japanese, moat is 堀, read ほり (hori).
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 moat; fosse
- n canal; ditch
Written forms: 堀、濠、壕. Readings: ほり.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “moat”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 壕 | ごう gou | moat; fosse; trench |
| 横堀 | よこぼり yokobori | moat; horizontal trench |
| 環濠 | かんごう kangou | (circular) moat |
| 堀切り | ほりきり horikiri | man-made water channel (e.g. round a castle); artificial trench; moat |
| 水濠 | すいごう suigou | moat (around a castle, etc.) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 堀江 | ほりえ horie | canal |
| 堀川 | ほりかわ horikawa | canal |
| 外堀 | そとぼり sotobori | outer moat (of a castle) |
| 釣り堀 | つりぼり tsuribori | fish pond (artificially stocked); fishing pond |
| 内堀 | うちぼり uchibori | inner moat; moat within the castle walls |
| 空堀 | からぼり karabori | dry moat |
See also: Chinese symbol for “moat”.
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.