Japanese symbol for “nipping”

甘噛み

あまがみ

Romaji: amagami

play-biting (e.g. by pets); mouthing; nipping

In Japanese, nipping is 甘噛み, read あまがみ (amagami).

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, vs, vt play-biting (e.g. by pets); mouthing; nipping

Written forms: 甘噛み、あま噛み、甘咬み、甘がみ. Readings: あまがみ、あまかみ.

Kanji and stroke order

甘

sweet, coax, pamper

on: カン
kun: あま.い、あま.える、あま.やかす、うま.い

5 strokes · JLPT 2

噛

chew, bite, gnaw

on: コウ、ゴウ
kun: か.む、か.じる

15 strokes

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
甘い	あまい amai	sweet-tasting; sweet; sugary
甘味	あまみ amami	sweetness; sugary taste
甘え	あまえ amae	overdependence (on others; usu. one's fosterers or seniors); lack of self-reliance; presumed acceptance (of one's behaviour)
甘える	あまえる amaeru	to behave like a spoiled child; to fawn on
甘美	かんび kanbi	sweet (taste); luscious
甘やかす	あまやかす amayakasu	to pamper; to spoil
噛む	かむ kamu	to bite
噛み付く	かみつく kamitsuku	to bite (at); to snap at

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.