Japanese symbol for “spatula”
箆
へら
Romaji: hera
spatula; (fabric) tracing spatula; (pottery) pallet
In Japanese, spatula is 箆, read へら (hera).
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 spatula; (fabric) tracing spatula; (pottery) pallet
- n (artificially cultured) Japanese crucian carp
Written forms: 箆、篦. Readings: へら、ヘラ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “spatula”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| カード | カード kaado | dough scraper; spatula |
| スパチュラ | スパチュラ supachura | spatula; spatula knife; frosting spatula |
| フライ返し | フライがえし furaigaeshi | spatula; turner |
| 金箆 | かなべら kanabera | spatula; trowel |
| スパチュール | スパチュール supachuuru | spatula |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 箆棒 | べらぼう berabou | extreme; terrible; excessive |
| 竹箆 | しっぺい shippei | bamboo stick used to strike meditators into greater wakefulness (in Zen Buddhism) |
| 箆鷺 | へらさぎ herasagi | common spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) |
| 箆蝶鮫 | へらちょうざめ herachouzame | American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) |
| ゴム箆 | ゴムべら gomubera | rubber spatula |
| 箆鮒 | へらぶな herabuna | (artificially cultured) Japanese crucian carp |
See also: Chinese symbol for “spatula”.
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.