Japanese symbol for “trunk”
胴
どう
Romaji: dou
trunk; torso; body; abdomen
In Japanese, trunk is 胴, read どう (dou).
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 trunk; torso; body; abdomen; waist
- n plastron (in kendo); touching the plastron (kimari-te in kendo)
- n frame (of a drum, etc.); sound box (of a shamisen, etc.); hull (of a ship)
- n dealer (hanaf)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “trunk”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 胴体 | どうたい doutai | trunk; torso; body |
| 体 | からだ karada | torso; trunk |
| 元 | もと moto | root (of a plant); (tree) trunk |
| 幹 | から kara | trunk; stem; stalk |
| トランク | トランク toranku | suitcase; trunk |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 胴体 | どうたい doutai | trunk; torso; body |
| 胴上げ | どうあげ douage | tossing (someone) into the air (in celebration) |
| 胴元 | どうもと doumoto | banker (gambling); bookmaker; person who runs a gambling den |
| 寸胴 | ずんどう zundou | cylindrical |
| 救命胴衣 | きゅうめいどうい kyuumeidoui | life jacket; life vest |
| 胴着 | どうぎ dougi | (sleeveless) undergarment; padded undershirt |
See also: Chinese symbol for “trunk”.
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.