Japanese symbol for “tomboy”
お転婆
おてんば
Romaji: otenba
tomboy
In Japanese, tomboy is お転婆, read おてんば (otenba).
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
- adj-na, n tomboy
Written forms: お転婆、御転婆、於転婆. Readings: おてんば.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “tomboy”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| はねっ返り | はねっかえり hanekkaeri | tomboy |
| おてんば娘 | おてんばむすめ otenbamusume | tomboy; hoyden |
| 俺女 | おれおんな oreonna | tomboy; boyish girl |
| 跳ね返り | はねかえり hanekaeri | tomboy |
| 跳ね上がり者 | はねあがりもの haneagarimono | rash person; tomboy |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 運転 | うんてん unten | operation (of a machine); running; working |
| 自転車 | じてんしゃ jitensha | bicycle; bike |
| 回転 | かいてん kaiten | rotation; revolution; turn |
| 移転 | いてん iten | moving; relocation; change of address |
| 逆転 | ぎゃくてん gyakuten | reversal (of a situation); turnaround; turnabout |
| 転換 | てんかん tenkan | conversion; diversion; changeover |
| 老婆 | ろうば rouba | old woman |
| 婆ちゃん | ばあちゃん baachan | granny; grandma; gran |
See also: Chinese symbol for “tomboy”.
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.