Japanese symbol for “water”
水
みず
Romaji: mizu
water (esp. cool or cold)
In Japanese, water is 水, read みず (mizu).
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 water (esp. cool or cold)
- n fluid (esp. in an animal tissue); liquid
- n flood; floodwaters
- n water offered to wrestlers just prior to a bout (sumo)
- n break granted to wrestlers engaged in a prolonged bout (sumo)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “water”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 水分 | すいぶん suibun | water; liquid; fluid |
| ウォーター | ウォーター wootaa | water |
| 注ぐ | そそぐ sosogu | to sprinkle on (from above); to water (e.g. plants); to pour onto |
| お水 | おみず omizu | water; (drinking) water; (glass of) water |
| 水をやる | みずをやる mizuoyaru | to water (a plant, a flower etc.) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 水着 | みずぎ mizugi | bathing suit; swimsuit; swimmers |
| 水準 | すいじゅん suijun | level; standard |
| 水道 | すいどう suidou | water supply; water service; waterworks |
| 水素 | すいそ suiso | hydrogen (H) |
| 水分 | すいぶん suibun | water; liquid; fluid |
| 水泳 | すいえい suiei | swimming |
See also: Chinese symbol for “water”.
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.