Japanese symbol for “rhizome”

根茎

こんけい

Romaji: konkei

rhizome; rootstalk; rootstock

In Japanese, rhizome is 根茎, read こんけい (konkei).

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 rhizome; rootstalk; rootstock (bot)

Kanji and stroke order

根

root, radical, head (pimple)

on: コン
kun: ね、-ね

10 strokes · JLPT 2

茎

stalk, stem

on: ケイ、キョウ
kun: くき

8 strokes · JLPT 1

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
屋根	やね yane	roof
根拠	こんきょ konkyo	basis; grounds; foundation
根本	こんぽん konpon	root; source; origin
根性	こんじょう konjou	willpower; guts; determination
大根	だいこん daikon	daikon (variety of large white Oriental radish, Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus)
島根	しまね shimane	Shimane (prefecture)
包茎	ほうけい houkei	phimosis
陰茎	いんけい inkei	penis

See also: Chinese symbol for “rhizome”.

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.