Japanese symbol for “snell”

鉤素

はりす

Romaji: harisu

leader; trace; cast; snell

In Japanese, snell is 鉤素, read はりす (harisu).

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 leader; trace; cast; snell (fish)

Written forms: 鉤素、針素. Readings: ハリス、はりす.

Kanji and stroke order

鉤

hook, barb, gaff

on: コウ、ク
kun: かぎ、はり、ばり

13 strokes

素

elementary, principle, naked

on: ソ、ス
kun: もと

10 strokes · JLPT 1

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
鉤爪	かぎづめ kagizume	claw; talon
鉤虫	こうちゅう kouchuu	hookworm
鉤鼻	かぎばな kagibana	hooked nose
毛鉤	けばり kebari	(artificial) fly; fly lure
鉤状	こうじょう koujou	hooklike; hook-shaped; unciform
要素	ようそ youso	element; component; factor
素材	そざい sozai	ingredient; (raw) material; resource
素敵	すてき suteki	lovely; wonderful; charming

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.