Japanese symbol for “warrior”
侍
さむらい
Romaji: samurai
warrior (esp. of military retainers of daimyos in the Edo period); samurai
In Japanese, warrior is 侍, read さむらい (samurai).
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 warrior (esp. of military retainers of daimyos in the Edo period); samurai
- n person with a strong backbone; person that does incredible things; person of considerable talent
Written forms: 侍、士. Readings: さむらい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “warrior”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 武士 | ぶし bushi | samurai; warrior |
| 武者 | むしゃ musha | warrior |
| 戦士 | せんし senshi | soldier; combatant; warrior |
| 武士 | もののふ mononofu | warrior; soldier; samurai |
| 兵 | つわもの tsuwamono | soldier; warrior |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 侍女 | じじょ jijo | lady attendant; female servant; lady's maid |
| 侍医 | じい jii | court physician |
| 侍従 | じじゅう jijuu | chamberlain |
| 近侍 | きんじ kinji | attendant; attendance upon another |
| 七人の侍 | しちにんのさむらい shichininnosamurai | Seven Samurai (film by Akira Kurosawa) |
| 侍る | はべる haberu | to wait upon; to serve |
See also: Chinese symbol for “warrior”.
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.