Japanese symbol for “undertow”
引き波
ひきなみ
Romaji: hikinami
backwash; rip current; undertow
In Japanese, undertow is 引き波, read ひきなみ (hikinami).
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 backwash; rip current; undertow
- n stern wave
- n drawback (of a tsunami, i.e. when a wave trough reaches land before a crest)
Written forms: 引き波、引波. Readings: ひきなみ.
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 取引 | とりひき torihiki | transactions; dealings; business |
| 引退 | いんたい intai | retirement |
| 割引 | わりびき waribiki | discount; reduction; rebate |
| 引き続き | ひきつづき hikitsuzuki | continuously; continually; without a break |
| 引用 | いんよう in'you | quotation; citation; reference |
| 引っ越し | ひっこし hikkoshi | moving (dwelling, office, etc.); changing residence |
| 電波 | でんぱ denpa | radio wave; reception; signal |
| 津波 | つなみ tsunami | tsunami; tidal wave |
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.