Japanese symbol for “shaman”
巫
かんなぎ
Romaji: kannagi
medium; diviner; shaman; oracle
In Japanese, shaman is 巫, read かんなぎ (kannagi).
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 medium; diviner; shaman; oracle
Written forms: 巫、覡. Readings: かんなぎ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “shaman”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| いたこ | いたこ itako | necromancer (esp. a blind female in northeastern Honshu); medium; shaman |
| シャーマン | シャーマン shaaman | shaman |
| 巫覡 | ふげき fugeki | shaman; oracle; diviner |
| ゆた | ゆた yuta | shaman (Okinawa, Amami); medium; exorcist |
| 祈祷師 | きとうし kitoushi | medicine man; shaman; faith healer |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 巫女 | みこ miko | miko; shrine maiden; young girl or woman (trad. an unmarried virgin) who assists priests at shrines |
| 巫山戯 | ふざけ fuzake | play; sport; romp |
| 巫山戯る | ふざける fuzakeru | to joke; to jest; to kid |
| 巫者 | ふしゃ fusha | virgin consecrated to a deity; shrine maiden; (spiritualistic) medium |
| 巫術 | ふじゅつ fujutsu | shamanism |
| 巫女寄せ | みこよせ mikoyose | spiritism; necromancy; sorcery |
See also: Chinese symbol for “shaman”.
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.