Japanese symbol for “stutter”
噛む
かむ
Romaji: kamu
to bite
In Japanese, stutter is 噛む, read かむ (kamu).
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
- v5m, vt to bite
- v5m, vt to chew; to gnaw; to masticate
- v5m, vt to fumble one's words (esp. during a play, broadcast, etc.); to falter with one's words; to stutter; to stammer
- v5m, vt to crash against (e.g. of waves); to break onto (shore)
- v5m, vt to engage (of cogs, zippers, etc.); to mesh; to fit together
- v5m, vt to be involved in
Written forms: 噛む、咬む、嚙む、嚼む. Readings: かむ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “stutter”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 吃り | どもり domori | stammer; stutter |
| 吃る | どもる domoru | to stammer; to stutter |
| へどもど | へどもど hedomodo | to be flustered; to be flurried; to stutter |
| 閊える | つかえる tsukaeru | to halt (in one's speech); to stumble (over one's words); to stutter |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 噛み付く | かみつく kamitsuku | to bite (at); to snap at |
| 噛み合う | かみあう kamiau | to mesh (of gears, cogs, etc.); to engage with each other; to meet (of teeth) |
| 噛み砕く | かみくだく kamikudaku | to crunch; to masticate |
| 歯噛み | はがみ hagami | grinding of the teeth; involuntary nocturnal tooth grinding; bruxism |
See also: Chinese symbol for “stutter”.
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.