Japanese symbol for “squirm”
蠢く
うごめく
Romaji: ugomeku
to wriggle; to squirm; to crawl like a worm
In Japanese, squirm is 蠢く, read うごめく (ugomeku).
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
- v5k, vi to wriggle; to squirm; to crawl like a worm
Written forms: 蠢く、動めく、蠢めく、蠕く. Readings: うごめく.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “squirm”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 藻掻く | もがく mogaku | to struggle; to writhe; to wriggle |
| のた打つ | のたうつ notautsu | to writhe (in pain); to squirm; to wriggle |
| のたくる | のたくる notakuru | to wriggle; to writhe; to squirm |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 蠢動 | しゅんどう shundou | wriggling; squirming; writhing |
| 蠢かす | うごめかす ugomekasu | to wriggle |
| 愚蠢 | ぐしゅん gushun | foolish; stupid; silly |
See also: Chinese symbol for “squirm”.
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.