Japanese symbol for “salty”
辛い
からい
Romaji: karai
spicy; hot
In Japanese, salty is 辛い, read からい (karai).
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
- adj-i spicy; hot
- adj-i salty
- adj-i harsh (criticism); severe (punishment); strict
- adj-i painful; bitter; difficult; tough
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “salty”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 塩辛い | しおからい shiokarai | salty (taste); briny |
| 辛口 | からくち karakuchi | salty (taste) |
| 塩っぱい | しょっぱい shoppai | salty |
| 辛め | からめ karame | hottish; salty; somewhat hot |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 辛口 | からくち karakuchi | dry taste (e.g. sake, wine) |
| 香辛料 | こうしんりょう koushinryou | spice; spices; condiment |
| 辛抱 | しんぼう shinbou | patience; endurance; perseverance |
| 唐辛子 | とうがらし tougarashi | capsicum (Capsicum annuum, esp. the cultivated chili peppers); chili pepper (chile, chilli); cayenne |
See also: Chinese symbol for “salty”.
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.