Japanese symbol for “thorn”
刺
とげ
Romaji: toge
thorn; spine; prickle
In Japanese, thorn is 刺, read とげ (toge).
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
- n thorn; spine; prickle
- n splinter (esp. lodged in one's flesh); hard sharp item (esp. lodged in one's throat, e.g. fish bone)
- n biting words
Written forms: 刺、棘. Readings: とげ、トゲ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “thorn”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 針 | はり hari | stinger; thorn |
| 茨 | いばら ibara | thorn |
| 荊棘 | けいきょく keikyoku | obstacle; source of difficulty; thorn |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 刺激 | しげき shigeki | stimulus; stimulation; irritation (esp. of the body, e.g. skin, eyes) |
| 名刺 | めいし meishi | business card |
| 刺身 | さしみ sashimi | sashimi (raw sliced fish, shellfish or crustaceans) |
| 風刺 | ふうし fuushi | satire; irony; sarcasm |
| 刺す | さす sasu | to pierce; to stab; to prick |
| 刺さる | ささる sasaru | to stick into (of something with a sharp point); to prick; to pierce |
See also: Chinese symbol for “thorn”.
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.