Japanese symbol for “peel”
剥く
むく
Romaji: muku
to peel; to skin; to pare; to hull
In Japanese, peel is 剥く, read むく (muku).
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
- v5k, vt to peel; to skin; to pare; to hull; to strip
- v5k, vt to bare (teeth, fangs); to open wide (eyes)
Written forms: 剥く、剝く. Readings: むく.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “peel”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 皮 | かわ kawa | rind; peel; husk |
| ピール | ピール piiru | peel; peeling |
| ひん剥く | ひんむく hinmuku | to peel (roughly); to tear off; to rip off |
| 皮をむく | かわをむく kawaomuku | to peel; to skin; to pare |
| 皮をはぐ | かわをはぐ kawaohagu | to skin; to peel |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 剥がす | はがす hagasu | to tear off; to peel off; to rip off |
| 剥がれる | はがれる hagareru | to come unstuck from; to peel off; to come off |
| 剥奪 | はくだつ hakudatsu | stripping (of rights, rank, etc.); deprivation; forfeit |
| 剥がれ | はがれ hagare | peeling; separation; exfoliation |
| 剥ぐ | はぐ hagu | to tear off; to peel off; to rip off |
See also: Chinese symbol for “peel”.
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.