Japanese symbol for “slither”
這う
はう
Romaji: hau
to crawl; to creep; to go on all fours
In Japanese, slither is 這う, read はう (hau).
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
- v5u, vi to crawl; to creep; to go on all fours
- v5u, vi to slither; to wriggle
- v5u, vi to trail (of vines, flowers, etc.); to spread; to creep
Written forms: 這う、匍う、延う. Readings: はう.
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 夜這い | よばい yobai | creeping at night into a woman's bedroom; stealing into a girl's bedroom at night to make love; sneaking visit |
| 這いずる | はいずる haizuru | to creep; to crawl |
| 這い出す | はいだす haidasu | to crawl out; to creep out |
| 這松 | はいまつ haimatsu | Japanese stone pine (Pinus pumila); Siberian dwarf pine; creeping pine |
| 這い這い | はいはい haihai | crawling (of a baby) |
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.
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