Japanese symbol for “swallow”
飲む
のむ
Romaji: nomu
to drink; to swallow; to take (medicine)
In Japanese, swallow is 飲む, read のむ (nomu).
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 drink; to swallow; to take (medicine)
- v5m, vt to smoke (tobacco)
- v5m, vt to swallow up; to engulf
- v5m, vt to suppress (one's anger, bitter feelings, etc.); to keep down; to hold back; to swallow (one's tears); to catch (one's breath)
- v5m, vt to accept (a demand, conditions, etc.); to agree to
- v5m, vt to make light of (someone); to think nothing of; to overwhelm; to overawe
Written forms: 飲む、呑む、飮む、吞む. Readings: のむ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “swallow”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 燕 | つばめ tsubame | swallow (bird of the Hirundinidae family); martin |
| 飲み込む | のみこむ nomikomu | to swallow; to gulp down |
| 飲み下す | のみくだす nomikudasu | to swallow; to gulp down |
| 燕子 | えんし enshi | swallow |
| 玄鳥 | げんちょう genchou | swallow |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 飲み物 | のみもの nomimono | drink; beverage |
| 飲食 | いんしょく inshoku | food and drink; eating and drinking |
| 飲料 | いんりょう inryou | beverage; drink |
| 飲酒 | いんしゅ inshu | drinking alcohol |
| 飲み込む | のみこむ nomikomu | to swallow; to gulp down |
See also: Chinese symbol for “swallow”.
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.