King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “steam”

Romaji: jouki
steam; vapour; vapor

In Japanese, steam is , read (jouki).

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

  1. n steam; vapour; vapor
  2. n steamboat; steam locomotive

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

steam, heat, sultry
on: ジョウ、セイ
kun: む.す、む.れる、む.らす
13 strokes · JLPT 2
spirit, mind, air
on: キ、ケ
kun: いき、き
6 strokes · JLPT 4

Other Japanese words for “steam”

WordReadingMeaning
むす musuto steam (food, towel, etc.)
ゆげ yugesteam; vapour; vapor
いき ikisteam (coming off hot food, tea, etc.); (water) vapor; vapour
すいじょうき suijoukiwater vapour; water vapor; steam
スチーム suchiimusteam

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
じょうはつ jouhatsuevaporation
すいじょうき suijoukiwater vapour; water vapor; steam
むし mushisteaming
むす musuto steam (food, towel, etc.)
むしあつい mushiatsuihumid; sultry
きもち kimochifeeling; sensation; mood
にんき ninkipopularity; public favor
きぶん kibunfeeling; mood

See also: Chinese symbol for “steam”.

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.

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