Japanese symbol for “oyster”
牡蠣
かき
Romaji: kaki
oyster; oyster shell
In Japanese, oyster is 牡蠣, read かき (kaki).
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 oyster; oyster shell
Written forms: 牡蠣、牡蛎、蠣、硴. Readings: かき、ぼれい、カキ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “oyster”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| オイスター | オイスター oisutaa | oyster |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 牡丹 | ぼたん botan | tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa); moutan |
| 牡鹿 | おじか ojika | buck (male deer) |
| 牡馬 | ぼば boba | male horse |
| 葉牡丹 | はぼたん habotan | ornamental kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) |
| 牡丹雪 | ぼたんゆき botan'yuki | large snowflakes |
| 真牡蠣 | まがき magaki | Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) |
| 牡蠣飯 | かきめし kakimeshi | rice cooked together with oyster meat, etc. |
| 焼き牡蠣 | やきがき yakigaki | oysters cooked in the shell |
See also: Chinese symbol for “oyster”.
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.