Japanese symbol for “scooping”

掬い

すくい

Romaji: sukui

scooping

In Japanese, scooping is 掬い, read すくい (sukui).

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 scooping

Written forms: 掬い、抄い. Readings: すくい.

Kanji and stroke order

掬

scoop up water with the hand

on: キク、コク
kun: きく.す、むす.ぶ、すく.う、たなごころ

11 strokes

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
掬う	すくう sukuu	to scoop; to ladle out
一掬	いっきく ikkiku	small amount
掬い投げ	すくいなげ sukuinage	variety of beltless arm throw
小股掬い	こまたすくい komatasukui	over-thigh scooping body drop
掬する	きくする kikusuru	to scoop up (with both hands)

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.