Japanese symbol for “stem”
茎
くき
Romaji: kuki
stalk; stem
In Japanese, stem is 茎, read くき (kuki).
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 stalk; stem
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “stem”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 食い止める | くいとめる kuitomeru | to check; to hold back; to keep at bay |
| 軸 | じく jiku | stalk; stem |
| 理系 | りけい rikei | the sciences; STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) |
| 船首 | せんしゅ senshu | bow (of a boat); prow; stem |
| 幹 | から kara | trunk; stem; stalk |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 包茎 | ほうけい houkei | phimosis |
| 陰茎 | いんけい inkei | penis |
| 歯茎 | はぐき haguki | gums; gingiva |
| 花茎 | かけい kakei | scape |
| 根茎 | こんけい konkei | rhizome; rootstalk; rootstock |
| 地下茎 | ちかけい chikakei | underground stem |
See also: Chinese symbol for “stem”.
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.