Japanese symbol for “shield”
盾
たて
Romaji: tate
shield; buckler; escutcheon
In Japanese, shield is 盾, read たて (tate).
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 shield; buckler; escutcheon
- n pretext; excuse; grounds (for); justification
Written forms: 盾、楯. Readings: たて.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “shield”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| シールド | シールド shiirudo | shield |
| 牌 | はい hai | medal; shield; badge |
| 囲う | かこう kakou | to shelter (e.g. a criminal); to shield; to hide |
| 防波堤 | ぼうはてい bouhatei | bulwark; shield (e.g. against critcism); protective barrier |
| 匿 | とく toku | shelter; shield; hide |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 矛盾 | むじゅん mujun | contradiction; inconsistency |
| 後ろ盾 | うしろだて ushirodate | backing; support; backer |
| 自己矛盾 | じこむじゅん jikomujun | self-contradiction; paradox; antinomy |
| 矛盾語法 | むじゅんごほう mujungohou | oxymoron |
| 矛盾撞着 | むじゅんどうちゃく mujundouchaku | self-contradiction |
| 前後矛盾 | ぜんごむじゅん zengomujun | self-contradiction; self-inconsistency |
See also: Chinese symbol for “shield”.
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.