Japanese symbol for “stake”
杭
くい
Romaji: kui
stake; post; pile; picket
In Japanese, stake is 杭, read くい (kui).
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 stake; post; pile; picket
- n stump
Written forms: 杭、杙、株. Readings: くい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “stake”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 賭け | かけ kake | bet; wager; stake |
| 賭ける | かける kakeru | to wager; to bet; to risk |
| 掛ける | かける kakeru | to wager; to bet; to risk |
| 賭す | とす tosu | to stake; to risk; to bet |
| 利害関係 | りがいかんけい rigaikankei | interests; stake |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 杭州 | こうしゅう koushuu | Hangzhou (China) |
| 乱杭 | らんぐい rangui | stakes planted on the ground or underwater at irregular angles and intervals (to obstruct the enemy) |
| 切り杭 | きりくい kirikui | stump |
| 乱杭歯 | らんぐいば ranguiba | uneven teeth |
| 支持杭 | しじぐい shijigui | bearing pile |
| 杭打設 | くいうちせつ kuiuchisetsu | pile-driving |
See also: Chinese symbol for “stake”.
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.