Japanese symbol for “unearth”
掘り起こす
ほりおこす
Romaji: horiokosu
to dig up; to unearth; to uncover
In Japanese, unearth is 掘り起こす, read ほりおこす (horiokosu).
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
- v5s, vt to dig up; to unearth; to uncover
Written forms: 掘り起こす、掘りおこす、掘り起す、ほり起こす. Readings: ほりおこす.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “unearth”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 暴き立てる | あばきたてる abakitateru | to dig up (a secret, scandal, etc.); to expose; to uncover |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 発掘 | はっくつ hakkutsu | excavation; exhumation; digging up |
| 掘る | ほる horu | to dig; to excavate; to hollow |
| 採掘 | さいくつ saikutsu | mining; digging; working (a mine) |
| 掘削 | くっさく kussaku | digging out; excavation |
| 盗掘 | とうくつ toukutsu | illegal digging; illegal mining; grave robbing |
| 試掘 | しくつ shikutsu | prospecting; trial digging |
| 起訴 | きそ kiso | prosecution; indictment |
| 起こる | おこる okoru | to occur; to happen |
See also: Chinese symbol for “unearth”.
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.