King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “tornado”

Romaji: tatsumaki
tornado; whirlwind; waterspout; twister

In Japanese, tornado is , read (tatsumaki).

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 tornado; whirlwind; waterspout; twister

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

dragon, imperial
on: リュウ、リョウ、ロウ
kun: たつ、いせ
10 strokes · JLPT 1
scroll, volume, book
on: カン、ケン
kun: ま.く、まき、ま.き
9 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “tornado”

WordReadingMeaning
トルネード toruneedotornado
ぐふう gufuutornado; hurricane; typhoon

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
きょうりゅう kyouryuudinosaur
りゅうおう ryuuouDragon King
とうりゅうもん touryuumongateway to success
りゅうぐう ryuuguuPalace of the Dragon King; palace from the story of Urashima Tarō (said to be located at the bottom of the sea)
りゅうめ ryuumesplendid horse
まきこむ makikomuto roll up; to enfold; to swallow up
まきぞえ makizoegetting mixed up in; getting embroiled in; involvement
はまき hamakicigar

See also: Chinese symbol for “tornado”.

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.