Japanese symbol for “tub”
桶
おけ
Romaji: oke
bucket; pail; tub
In Japanese, tub is 桶, read おけ (oke).
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 bucket; pail; tub
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “tub”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 船 | ふね fune | tank; tub; vat |
| タブ | タブ tabu | tub |
| 盥 | たらい tarai | tub; washbasin; washbowl |
| 槽 | うけ uke | basin; tub |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 棺桶 | かんおけ kan'oke | coffin; casket |
| 桶屋 | おけや okeya | bucket maker; well maker; cooper |
| 湯桶 | ゆとう yutou | pail-like wooden container typically lacquered in Japanese style, used for holding and serving hot liquids |
| 手桶 | ておけ teoke | pail; bucket |
| 空桶 | からおけ karaoke | empty bucket |
See also: Chinese symbol for “tub”.
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.