Japanese symbol for “stork”
鸛
こうのとり
Romaji: kounotori
stork (esp. the Oriental stork, Ciconia boyciana)
In Japanese, stork is 鸛, read こうのとり (kounotori).
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 stork (esp. the Oriental stork, Ciconia boyciana)
Written forms: 鸛. Readings: こうのとり、こう、コウノトリ.
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 鸛鶴 | こうづる kouzuru | Oriental stork (Ciconia boyciana) |
| 朱嘴鸛 | しゅばしこう shubashikou | white stork (Ciconia ciconia) |
| 嘴広鸛 | はしびろこう hashibirokou | shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) |
| 鍋鸛 | なべこう nabekou | black stork (Ciconia nigra) |
| 青嘴鸛 | あおはしこう aohashikou | Abdim's stork (Ciconia abdimii); white-bellied stork |
| 白襟鸛 | しろえりこう shiroerikou | woolly-necked stork (Ciconia episcopus); whitenecked stork |
See also: Chinese symbol for “stork”.
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.