Japanese symbol for “sail”
帆
ほ
Romaji: ho
sail
In Japanese, sail is 帆, read ほ (ho).
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 sail
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “sail”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 走る | はしる hashiru | to run (of a vehicle); to drive; to travel |
| 航程 | こうてい koutei | distance covered (by a ship or aircraft); run; sail |
| 走らす | はしらす hashirasu | to make go fast (a car, horse, etc.); to drive; to ride |
| 走らせる | はしらせる hashiraseru | to make go fast (a car, horse, etc.); to drive; to ride |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 帆船 | はんせん hansen | sailing ship; sailing boat; sailing vessel |
| 帆走 | はんそう hansou | sailing |
| 真帆 | まほ maho | spread-out sail; full sail; (sailing) downwind |
| 帆布 | はんぷ hanpu | sailcloth; canvas |
| 出帆 | しゅっぱん shuppan | setting sail; departure (from a port) |
| 帆立貝 | ほたてがい hotategai | Japanese scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis); Yesso scallop |
See also: Chinese symbol for “sail”.
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.