Japanese symbol for “otter”
川獺
かわうそ
Romaji: kawauso
otter (Lutra lutra)
In Japanese, otter is 川獺, read かわうそ (kawauso).
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 otter (Lutra lutra)
- n Japanese river otter (Lutra lutra whiteleyi)
Written forms: 川獺、獺、河獺. Readings: かわうそ、うそ、おそ、だつ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “otter”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| コツメ | コツメ kotsume | otter |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 小川 | おがわ ogawa | stream; brook; creek |
| 河川 | かせん kasen | rivers |
| 川上 | かわかみ kawakami | upper reaches of a river; upstream |
| 谷川 | たにがわ tanigawa | mountain stream |
| 川柳 | せんりゅう senryuu | senryū; comic haiku; humorous seventeen-mora poem |
| 川岸 | かわぎし kawagishi | riverbank; riverside |
| 海獺 | らっこ rakko | sea otter (Enhydra lutris) |
| 獺祭 | だっさい dassai | arraying a number of reference books in order to compose poetry; literary composition crammed with maxims, ancient episodes, legends, etc. |
See also: Chinese symbol for “otter”.
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.