Japanese symbol for “stiletto”
短剣
たんけん
Romaji: tanken
short sword; dagger; stiletto
In Japanese, stiletto is 短剣, read たんけん (tanken).
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 short sword; dagger; stiletto
- n hour hand (of a clock)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “stiletto”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 懐刀 | ふところがたな futokorogatana | dagger; stiletto |
| スティレット | スティレット sutiretto | stiletto (dagger) |
| ピンヒール | ピンヒール pinhiiru | stiletto (high heels) |
| 穴開け器 | あなあけき anaakeki | (hole) punch; stiletto |
| 合い口 | あいくち aikuchi | dagger; stiletto |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 短期 | たんき tanki | short-term |
| 短縮 | たんしゅく tanshuku | shortening; contraction; reduction |
| 短い | みじかい mijikai | short |
| 短歌 | たんか tanka | tanka; 31-mora Japanese poem |
| 短大 | たんだい tandai | junior college; vocationally oriented post-secondary institution offering two or three-year programs |
| 短期間 | たんきかん tankikan | short term; short time |
| 真剣 | しんけん shinken | serious; earnest |
| 剣道 | けんどう kendou | kendo; Japanese martial art using bamboo swords |
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.