Japanese symbol for “paint”
塗る
ぬる
Romaji: nuru
to paint; to spread; to plaster; to apply (cream, lotion)
In Japanese, paint is 塗る, read ぬる (nuru).
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
- v5r, vt to paint; to spread; to plaster; to apply (cream, lotion); to smear; to lacquer
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “paint”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 絵の具 | えのぐ enogu | paint; coloring materials; colors |
| 塗料 | とりょう toryou | paint; coating; varnish |
| ペイント | ペイント peinto | paint |
| 描く | えがく egaku | to draw; to paint; to sketch |
| 彩る | いろどる irodoru | to colour; to color; to paint |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 塗装 | とそう tosou | coating; painting |
| 塗料 | とりょう toryou | paint; coating; varnish |
| 塗布 | とふ tofu | application (of ointment, etc.) |
| 塗り | ぬり nuri | coating (esp. lacquering) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “paint”.
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.