Japanese symbol for “rod”
棒
ぼう
Romaji: bou
pole; rod; stick; baton
In Japanese, rod is 棒, read ぼう (bou).
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 pole; rod; stick; baton
- n line; dash
- exp spoken monotonously
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “rod”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 竿 | さお sao | rod; pole |
| ロッド | ロッド roddo | rod; pole; stick |
| 桿体 | かんたい kantai | rod (cell) |
| ポール | ポール pooru | pole (unit of length or area); rod; perch |
| 桿状体 | かんじょうたい kanjoutai | rod (cell) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 泥棒 | どろぼう dorobou | thief; burglar; robber |
| 相棒 | あいぼう aibou | partner; pal; accomplice |
| 鉄棒 | てつぼう tetsubou | iron rod; iron bar; iron club |
| 用心棒 | ようじんぼう youjinbou | bodyguard; bouncer; (security) guard |
| 棒立ち | ぼうだち boudachi | standing upright; standing bolt upright; rearing |
| 棒状 | ぼうじょう boujou | cylinder or rod-shaped |
See also: Chinese symbol for “rod”.
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.