Japanese symbol for “reindeer”
馴鹿
となかい
Romaji: tonakai
reindeer (Rangifer tarandus)
In Japanese, reindeer is 馴鹿, read となかい (tonakai).
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 reindeer (Rangifer tarandus)
Written forms: 馴鹿. Readings: となかい、トナカイ.
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 馴染み | なじみ najimi | familiarity; intimacy; acquaintance |
| 馴染む | なじむ najimu | to become familiar with; to get used to; to become accustomed to |
| 馴れ合い | なれあい nareai | collusion; conspiracy |
| 馴れ初め | なれそめ naresome | start of a romance; beginning of love |
| 馴れ合う | なれあう nareau | to collude (with); to conspire (with) |
| 馴致 | じゅんち junchi | taming; gradual habituation; leading to |
| 馬鹿 | ばか baka | idiot; moron; fool |
| 鹿児島 | かごしま kagoshima | Kagoshima (city, prefecture) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “reindeer”.
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.