Japanese symbol for “raven”
烏
からす
Romaji: karasu
crow (Corvus spp.); raven
In Japanese, raven is 烏, read からす (karasu).
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 crow (Corvus spp.); raven
Written forms: 烏、鴉. Readings: カラス、からす.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “raven”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 大烏 | おおがらす oogarasu | The Raven (narrative poem by Edgar Allan Poe) |
| 大鴉 | おおがらす oogarasu | The Raven (narrative poem by Edgar Allan Poe) |
| 慈鳥 | じちょう jichou | crow; raven |
| からす座 | からすざ karasuza | Corvus (constellation); the Crow; the Raven |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 烏賊 | いか ika | cuttlefish; squid |
| 烏帽子 | えぼし eboshi | eboshi; black-lacquered headgear made of silk, cloth or paper, originally worn by court nobles in ancient Japan |
| 烏丸 | うがん ugan | Wuhuan (proto-Mongolic nomadic people) |
| 烏合 | うごう ugou | disorderly gathering |
| 烏天狗 | からすてんぐ karasutengu | small, crow-billed tengu |
| 烏口 | からすぐち karasuguchi | ruling pen |
See also: Chinese symbol for “raven”.
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.
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