Japanese symbol for “owl”
梟
ふくろう
Romaji: fukurou
owl (esp. the Ural owl, Strix uralensis)
In Japanese, owl is 梟, read ふくろう (fukurou).
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 owl (esp. the Ural owl, Strix uralensis)
Written forms: 梟、不苦労、福来朗、福老. Readings: ふくろう、フクロウ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “owl”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| アウル | アウル auru | owl |
| ふくろう座 | ふくろうざ fukurouza | Noctua (no longer recognized constellation); the Owl |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 梟雄 | きょうゆう kyouyuu | ringleader; accomplished villain |
| 梟首 | きょうしゅ kyoushu | exposure of a severed head |
| 梟する | きょうする kyousuru | to expose (a severed head) |
| 梟悪 | きょうあく kyouaku | great treachery; very atrocious person |
| 梟罪 | きょうざい kyouzai | penalty of decapitation and exposure of the severed head |
| 梟将 | きょうしょう kyoushou | brave general |
See also: Chinese symbol for “owl”.
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.