Japanese symbol for “skate”
滑る
すべる
Romaji: suberu
to slide; to glide; to skate; to ski
In Japanese, skate is 滑る, read すべる (suberu).
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
- v5r, vi to slide; to glide; to skate; to ski
- v5r, vi to slip; to skid
- v5r, vi to be slippery
- v5r, vi, vt to fail (an examination)
- v5r, vi, vt to lose (a position); to be demoted
- v5r, vi to bomb (when telling a joke); to fall flat
Written forms: 滑る、辷る. Readings: すべる、スベる.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “skate”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| スケート | スケート sukeeto | skating (esp. ice); skate; skates |
| 雁木鱝 | がんぎえい gangiei | skate (Rajidae spp., esp. the Kwangtung skate, Dipturus kwangtungensis) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 円滑 | えんかつ enkatsu | smooth; undisturbed; uninterrupted |
| 滑らか | なめらか nameraka | smooth (of a surface); glassy; velvety |
| 滑走 | かっそう kassou | gliding; sliding; skating (on ice) |
| 滑り | ぬめり numeri | slime; sliminess; mucus |
| 滑稽 | こっけい kokkei | funny; comical; humorous |
See also: Chinese symbol for “skate”.
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.