Japanese symbol for “seahorse”
海馬
かいば
Romaji: kaiba
seahorse; sea horse
In Japanese, seahorse is 海馬, read かいば (kaiba).
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 seahorse; sea horse
- n hippocampus (anat)
- n walrus
Written forms: 海馬. Readings: かいば、うみうま.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “seahorse”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| シーホース | シーホース shiihoosu | seahorse |
| 竜の落とし子 | たつのおとしご tatsunootoshigo | seahorse; sea horse |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 海外 | かいがい kaigai | foreign; abroad; overseas |
| 海岸 | かいがん kaigan | seashore; coast; seaside |
| 海軍 | かいぐん kaigun | navy; naval force |
| 北海道 | ほっかいどう hokkaidou | Hokkaido (island, prefectural-level administrative unit) |
| 海上 | かいじょう kaijou | (on the) sea; surface of the sea |
| 海洋 | かいよう kaiyou | ocean; sea |
| 競馬 | けいば keiba | horse racing |
| 馬鹿 | ばか baka | idiot; moron; fool |
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.