Japanese symbol for “scratch”
傷
きず
Romaji: kizu
wound; injury; cut; gash
In Japanese, scratch is 傷, read きず (kizu).
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 wound; injury; cut; gash; bruise; scratch
- n chip; crack; scratch; nick
- n flaw; defect; weakness; weak point
- n stain (on one's reputation); disgrace; dishonor; dishonour
- n (emotional) hurt; hurt feelings
Written forms: 傷、疵、瑕、創. Readings: きず、キズ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “scratch”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 擦り傷 | すりきず surikizu | scratch; graze; scrape |
| 白紙 | はくし hakushi | scratch; beginning |
| 刻 | きざ kiza | scratch |
| 掻く | かく kaku | to scratch |
| 傷つける | きずつける kizutsukeru | to damage; to chip; to scratch |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 負傷 | ふしょう fushou | injury; wound |
| 傷つける | きずつける kizutsukeru | to wound; to injure |
| 重傷 | じゅうしょう juushou | serious wound; serious injury |
| 傷害 | しょうがい shougai | injury; inflicting bodily injury |
| 中傷 | ちゅうしょう chuushou | slander; libel; defamation |
| 傷つく | きずつく kizutsuku | to be wounded; to get injured |
See also: Chinese symbol for “scratch”.
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.