Japanese symbol for “serpent”
蛇
へび
Romaji: hebi
snake
In Japanese, serpent is 蛇, read へび (hebi).
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 snake
- n serpent; large snake
Written forms: 蛇. Readings: へび、じゃ、くちなわ、へみ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “serpent”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 大蛇 | だいじゃ daija | big snake; (large) serpent |
| 巳 | み mi | the Snake (sixth sign of the Chinese zodiac); the Serpent |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 蛇口 | じゃぐち jaguchi | faucet; tap |
| 蛇行 | だこう dakou | meandering; snaking; zigzagging |
| 大蛇 | だいじゃ daija | big snake; (large) serpent |
| 蛇の目 | じゃのめ janome | bull's-eye (pattern); double ring (pattern) |
| 蛇足 | だそく dasoku | redundancy; superfluity; useless addition |
See also: Chinese symbol for “serpent”.
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.