Japanese symbol for “skull”
頭骨
とうこつ
Romaji: toukotsu
skull
In Japanese, skull is 頭骨, read とうこつ (toukotsu).
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 skull (anat)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “skull”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 脳 | なずき nazuki | brain; skull; head |
| 頭蓋骨 | ずがいこつ zugaikotsu | skull; cranium |
| 髑髏 | どくろ dokuro | skull (esp. weatherbeaten, used as symbol of death); death's head; cranium |
| 人頭 | ひとがしら hitogashira | skull; cranium |
| スカル | スカル sukaru | skull |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 冒頭 | ぼうとう boutou | beginning; opening; start |
| 先頭 | せんとう sentou | head (of a line, group, etc.); front; lead |
| 頭痛 | ずつう zutsuu | headache |
| 街頭 | がいとう gaitou | (on the) street |
| 頭脳 | ずのう zunou | head; brains |
| 念頭 | ねんとう nentou | (on one's) mind; heed |
| 骨折 | こっせつ kossetsu | bone fracture |
| 露骨 | ろこつ rokotsu | open; unconcealed; undisguised |
See also: Chinese symbol for “skull”.
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.