Japanese symbol for “waves”
波浪
はろう
Romaji: harou
waves; billows; surge
In Japanese, waves is 波浪, read はろう (harou).
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 waves; billows; surge
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 電波 | でんぱ denpa | radio wave; reception; signal |
| 津波 | つなみ tsunami | tsunami; tidal wave |
| 波乱 | はらん haran | disturbance; trouble; commotion |
| 難波 | なにわ naniwa | Naniwa (former name for Osaka region) |
| 波長 | はちょう hachou | wavelength |
| 周波数 | しゅうはすう shuuhasuu | frequency (esp. of waveforms) |
| 浪人 | ろうにん rounin | ronin; masterless samurai |
| 浪費 | ろうひ rouhi | waste; extravagance |
See also: Chinese symbol for “waves”.
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.