Japanese symbol for “subtract”

In Japanese, subtract is 引く, read ひく (hiku).

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. v5k, vt to pull; to tug; to lead (e.g. a horse)
2. v5k, vt to draw (attention, sympathy, etc.); to attract (e.g. interest)
3. v5k, vt to draw back (e.g. one's hand); to draw in (one's chin, stomach, etc.); to pull in
4. v5k, vt to draw (a card, mahjong tile, etc.)
5. v5k, vt to draw (a line, plan, etc.)
6. v5k, vt to catch (a cold)

Written forms: 引く、曳く、牽く. Readings: ひく.

Kanji and stroke order

↻ Replay stroke order

Other Japanese words for “subtract”

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

See also: Chinese symbol for “subtract”.

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.