Japanese symbol for “shrimp”
海老
えび
Romaji: ebi
prawn; shrimp; lobster
In Japanese, shrimp is 海老, read えび (ebi).
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 prawn; shrimp; lobster
Written forms: 海老、蝦、蛯、鰕. Readings: えび、エビ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “shrimp”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 小エビ | こエビ koebi | shrimp (infraorder Caridea) |
| シュリンプ | シュリンプ shurinpu | shrimp |
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 |
| 老人 | ろうじん roujin | old person; senior citizen; the aged |
| 老後 | ろうご rougo | old age |
See also: Chinese symbol for “shrimp”.
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.