Japanese symbol for “shackles”
束縛
そくばく
Romaji: sokubaku
restraint; restriction; fetters; yoke
In Japanese, shackles is 束縛, read そくばく (sokubaku).
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, vs, vt restraint; restriction; fetters; yoke; shackles
- n, vs, vt binding; confinement with rope
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “shackles”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 枷 | かせ kase | shackles; fetters; irons |
| 足かせ | あしかせ ashikase | fetters; shackles; hobbles |
| 覊束 | きそく kisoku | fetters; shackles; restraints |
| 羈絆 | きはん kihan | fetters; shackles; restraints |
| 手枷足枷 | てかせあしかせ tekaseashikase | manacles; shackles; fetters |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 約束 | やくそく yakusoku | promise; agreement; arrangement |
| 拘束 | こうそく kousoku | restriction; restraint; binding |
| 花束 | はなたば hanataba | bunch of flowers; bouquet |
| 結束 | けっそく kessoku | union; unity; solidarity |
| 収束 | しゅうそく shuusoku | conclusion; resolution; settling (e.g. of a dispute) |
| 縛る | しばる shibaru | to tie; to bind; to fasten |
| 金縛り | かなしばり kanashibari | binding hand and foot |
| 呪縛 | じゅばく jubaku | spell (that restricts one's movements); binding spell |
See also: Chinese symbol for “shackles”.
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.