Japanese symbol for “scabbard”
鞘
さや
Romaji: saya
scabbard; sheath
In Japanese, scabbard is 鞘, read さや (saya).
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 scabbard; sheath
- n cap (on a brush, pen, etc.); case; sleeve
- n margin (between two prices); spread; markup; commission (bus)
- n enclosure; outer fence
Written forms: 鞘. Readings: さや、サヤ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “scabbard”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 室 | しつ shitsu | scabbard |
| 刀室 | とうしつ toushitsu | scabbard |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 腱鞘炎 | けんしょうえん kenshouen | tenosynovitis |
| 金利鞘 | きんりしょう kinrishou | interest margin |
| 朱鞘 | しゅざや shuzaya | red-lacquered sword sheath |
| 腱鞘 | けんしょう kenshou | sheath of tendon |
| 値鞘 | ねざや nezaya | margin; spread (in prices) |
| 鞘当て | さやあて sayaate | rivalry in love; rivalry for the heart of a woman |
See also: Chinese symbol for “scabbard”.
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.