Japanese symbol for “sleeper”
枕木
まくらぎ
Romaji: makuragi
(railway) sleeper; (railroad) tie; crosstie
In Japanese, sleeper is 枕木, read まくらぎ (makuragi).
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 (railway) sleeper; (railroad) tie; crosstie (rail)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “sleeper”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 大引き | おおびき oobiki | sleeper; lumber girder |
| スリーパー | スリーパー suriipaa | sleeper; sleeping person |
| 寝台車 | しんだいしゃ shindaisha | sleeping car; sleeper |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 枕詞 | まくらことば makurakotoba | pillow word; decorative word used prefixally in classical Japanese literature |
| 枕元 | まくらもと makuramoto | bedside; near one's pillow |
| 枕草子 | まくらのそうし makuranosoushi | The Pillow Book (Heian-period collection of writings by Sei Shōnagon) |
| 膝枕 | ひざまくら hizamakura | laying one's head in someone's lap; using someone's lap for a pillow |
| 夢枕 | ゆめまくら yumemakura | at the bedside where one dreams |
| 木材 | もくざい mokuzai | lumber; timber; wood |
| 木造 | もくぞう mokuzou | wooden; made of wood; wooden construction |
| 木曜 | もくよう mokuyou | Thursday |
See also: Chinese symbol for “sleeper”.
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.