Japanese symbol for “soap”
石鹸
せっけん
Romaji: sekken
soap
In Japanese, soap is 石鹸, read せっけん (sekken).
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 soap
Written forms: 石鹸、石けん、石鹼. Readings: せっけん.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “soap”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ソープ | ソープ soopu | soap |
| シャボン | シャボン shabon | soap |
| サボン | サボン sabon | soap |
| セープ | セープ seepu | soap |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 石油 | せきゆ sekiyu | oil; petroleum |
| 宝石 | ほうせき houseki | gem; jewel; precious stone |
| 化石 | かせき kaseki | fossil |
| 石炭 | せきたん sekitan | coal |
| 磁石 | じしゃく jishaku | magnet |
| 鹸化 | けんか kenka | saponification; conversion to soap |
| 化粧石鹸 | けしょうせっけん keshousekken | toilet soap |
| 石鹸水 | せっけんすい sekkensui | soapy water |
See also: Chinese symbol for “soap”.
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.