Japanese symbol for “spike”
穂
ほ
Romaji: ho
ear (of a cereal plant); head; spike
In Japanese, spike is 穂, read ほ (ho).
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 ear (of a cereal plant); head; spike
- n point (of a brush, spear, etc.); tip; (pointed) head
- n crest (of a wave)
- n scion (in grafting)
Written forms: 穂、穗. Readings: ほ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “spike”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 釘 | くぎ kugi | nail; spike; tack |
| スパイク | スパイク supaiku | spike (on a shoe or tyre); stud; cleat |
| 花穂 | かすい kasui | spike |
| 五寸釘 | ごすんくぎ gosunkugi | long nail; spike |
| 穂状花序 | すいじょうかじょ suijoukajo | spike (inflorescence) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 稲穂 | いなほ inaho | ear (head) of rice |
| 瑞穂 | みずほ mizuho | fresh, young ears of rice; lush ears of rice |
| 穂先 | ほさき hosaki | tip of an ear (of wheat, etc.) |
| 花穂 | かすい kasui | spike |
| 穂波 | ほなみ honami | waving heads (of grain) |
| 初穂 | はつほ hatsuho | first ears of rice of the season; first crops of the season; first harvest of the season |
See also: Chinese symbol for “spike”.
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.