Japanese symbol for “vessel”
船
ふね
Romaji: fune
ship; boat; watercraft; vessel
In Japanese, vessel is 船, read ふね (fune).
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 ship; boat; watercraft; vessel; seaplane
- n tank; tub; vat; trough
- ctr, n-suf counter for boat-shaped containers (e.g. of sashimi)
Written forms: 船、舟、槽. Readings: ふね.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “vessel”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 船舶 | せんぱく senpaku | vessel; ship; shipping |
| 器 | うつわ utsuwa | bowl; vessel; container |
| 容器 | ようき youki | container; receptacle; vessel |
| 管 | かん kan | vessel; duct; tract |
| 器物 | きぶつ kibutsu | receptacle; container; vessel |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 船長 | せんちょう senchou | ship's captain; skipper |
| 風船 | ふうせん fuusen | balloon (toy or decoration) |
| 漁船 | ぎょせん gyosen | fishing boat |
| 船舶 | せんぱく senpaku | vessel; ship; shipping |
| 造船 | ぞうせん zousen | shipbuilding |
| 船橋 | ふなばし funabashi | pontoon bridge; floating bridge |
See also: Chinese symbol for “vessel”.
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.
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