Japanese symbol for “weaker”
雌
め
Romaji: me
female
In Japanese, weaker is 雌, read め (me).
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-pref, n-suf female
- n-pref smaller (of the two); weaker
- n woman
- n wife
Written forms: 雌、女、妻、牝. Readings: め.
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 雌雄 | しゆう shiyuu | male and female (animals); the two sexes |
| 雌花 | めばな mebana | female flower; pistillate flower |
| 雌牛 | めうし meushi | cow; heifer |
| 雌しべ | めしべ meshibe | pistil |
| 雌伏 | しふく shifuku | lying low (and awaiting one's chance); biding one's time; submitting at first (to then strike later) |
| 雌鳥 | めんどり mendori | female bird |
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.