Japanese symbol for “taunt”
食う
くう
Romaji: kuu
to eat
In Japanese, taunt is 食う, read くう (kuu).
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
- v5u, vt to eat
- v5u, vt to live; to make a living; to survive
- v5u, vt to bite; to sting (as insects do)
- v5u, vt to tease; to torment; to taunt; to make light of; to make fun of
- v5u, vt to encroach on; to eat into; to consume
- v5u, vt to defeat a superior; to threaten a position
Written forms: 食う、喰う、啖う. Readings: くう.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “taunt”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 嘲罵 | ちょうば chouba | (verbal) abuse; insulting remark; taunt |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 食事 | しょくじ shokuji | meal (e.g. lunch, dinner) |
| 食品 | しょくひん shokuhin | food; food products; foodstuffs |
| 食べ物 | たべもの tabemono | food |
| 食料 | しょくりょう shokuryou | food |
| 食べる | たべる taberu | to eat |
See also: Chinese symbol for “taunt”.
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.