Japanese symbol for “tortoise”
亀
かめ
Romaji: kame
tortoise; turtle
In Japanese, tortoise is 亀, read かめ (kame).
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 tortoise; turtle
- n heavy drinker
- n turtle crest; turtle mon
Written forms: 亀、龜. Readings: かめ、カメ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “tortoise”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| トータス | トータス tootasu | tortoise |
| 陸ガメ | りくガメ rikugame | tortoise |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 亀裂 | きれつ kiretsu | crack; crevice; fissure |
| 亀甲 | きっこう kikkou | tortoiseshell; tortoise shell |
| 亀田製菓 | かめだせいか kamedaseika | Kameda Seika Company |
| 亀の甲 | かめのこう kamenokou | tortoise shell |
| 出歯亀 | でばがめ debagame | voyeur; Peeping Tom |
| 泥亀 | どろがめ dorogame | Chinese soft-shelled turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “tortoise”.
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.