King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “sulphur”

Romaji: iou
sulfur (S); sulphur

In Japanese, sulphur is , read (iou).

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. n sulfur (S); sulphur

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

sulphur
on: リュウ
12 strokes · JLPT 1
yellow
on: コウ、オウ
kun: き、こ-
11 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “sulphur”

WordReadingMeaning
サルファ sarufasulfur; sulphur

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
りゅうさん ryuusansulfuric acid; sulphuric acid
りゅうか ryuukasulfuration; sulphuration
だつりゅう datsuryuudesulfurization; desulphurisation; desulphurization
ありゅうさん aryuusansulfurous acid; sulphurous acid
りゅうあん ryuuanammonium sulfate
おうごん ougongold (Au)
きいろ kiiroyellow; amber
きいろい kiiroiyellow

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.