Japanese symbol for “spade”
鋤
すき
Romaji: suki
spade
In Japanese, spade is 鋤, read すき (suki).
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 spade
- n plough; plow
Written forms: 鋤、犂. Readings: すき.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “spade”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| スコップ | スコップ sukoppu | shovel; spade; scoop |
| 耒耜 | らいし raishi | spade |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 鋤き返す | すきかえす sukikaesu | to plow (up); to plough (up) |
| 鋤簾 | じょれん joren | (long-handled) bamboo winnow used to sift earth or sand |
| 唐鋤 | からすき karasuki | plow (esp. horse or ox-drawn); plough |
| 鋤骨 | じょこつ jokotsu | vomer (bone of the skull) |
| 饂飩鋤 | うどんすき udonsuki | seafood and vegetables cooked sukiyaki style and served with udon |
| 唐鋤星 | からすきぼし karasukiboshi | Chinese "Three Stars" constellation (one of the 28 mansions) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “spade”.
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.