Japanese symbol for “smoke”
煙
けむり
Romaji: kemuri
smoke; fumes
In Japanese, smoke is 煙, read けむり (kemuri).
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 smoke; fumes
Written forms: 煙、烟. Readings: けむり、けむ、けぶ、けぶり.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “smoke”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 飲む | のむ nomu | to smoke (tobacco) |
| 吸う | すう suu | to breathe in; to inhale; to smoke (a cigarette, etc.) |
| 噴煙 | ふんえん fun'en | (eruption of) smoke |
| 吹かす | ふかす fukasu | to smoke (a cigarette, pipe, etc.); to puff on; to puff out (smoke) |
| 一服 | いっぷく ippuku | a puff; a smoke; a cup of tea |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 喫煙 | きつえん kitsuen | smoking (tobacco) |
| 禁煙 | きんえん kin'en | abstaining from smoking; quitting smoking |
| 煙草 | タバコ tabako | tobacco; cigarette; cigar |
| 煙突 | えんとつ entotsu | chimney; smokestack; funnel (of a ship) |
| 発煙 | はつえん hatsuen | emitting smoke; fuming |
| 噴煙 | ふんえん fun'en | (eruption of) smoke |
See also: Chinese symbol for “smoke”.
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.