Japanese symbol for “watchtower”
櫓
やぐら
Romaji: yagura
turret; watchtower
In Japanese, watchtower is 櫓, read やぐら (yagura).
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 turret; watchtower
- n high wooden stage; scaffolding
- n wooden frame (of a kotatsu)
- n yagura; fortress (shogi)
- n weapons storehouse
Written forms: 櫓、矢倉. Readings: やぐら.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “watchtower”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 望楼 | ぼうろう bourou | watchtower; observation tower; lookout |
| 物見 | ものみ monomi | watchtower; lookout |
| 遠見 | えんけん enken | looking into distance; watchtower; distant view |
| 火の見櫓 | ひのみやぐら hinomiyagura | fire lookout; watchtower |
| 監視塔 | かんしとう kanshitou | watchtower |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 火の見櫓 | ひのみやぐら hinomiyagura | fire lookout; watchtower |
| 物見櫓 | ものみやぐら monomiyagura | watchtower; observation tower; lookout |
| 櫓太鼓 | やぐらだいこ yaguradaiko | drums which announce the opening of a stage performance or commencement of bouts; the sound produced by such drums |
| 櫓投げ | やぐらなげ yaguranage | inner thigh throw |
| 櫓杭 | ろぐい rogui | fulcrum peg (fitted into the cavity in an oar as part of a traditional oarlock) |
| 櫓臍 | ろべそ robeso | fulcrum peg (fitted into the cavity in an oar as part of a traditional oarlock) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “watchtower”.
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.