The Japanese kanji for water is 水, read mizu on its own and sui in most compounds. Four strokes, drawn as a central current with two smaller flows breaking off to the sides, which is close to the ancient pictograph of a stream. It is among the first characters written by every child in Japan and among the most used in the language.
The Kanji at a Glance
- Character: 水
- On’yomi: スイ (sui)
- Kun’yomi: みず (mizu)
- Stroke count: 4
- General meaning: water, liquid, the element of water
- Radical: 水 is itself a radical. On the left side of another character it compresses into 氵, called sanzui, which is how you get 海 (sea), 池 (pond), and 泳 (to swim)
Meaning and Nuance
水 is literal water: the stuff in the glass, the river, the rain. Japanese draws a distinction English does not, which is worth knowing. 水 is cold or room-temperature water. Hot water is a different word entirely, お湯 (oyu), written with its own character 湯. Ask for 水 at an onsen and you will get the cold tap.
The character also carries the classical element. In the Buddhist 五大 (godai, five great elements) the set runs 地水火風空: earth, water, fire, wind, and void. Water is the second, the yielding one, the element that takes the shape of whatever holds it. Martial arts writing borrows this as 水の心 (mizu no kokoro), a mind like water: still enough to reflect, quick enough to move.
Real compounds:
- 水曜日 (suiyoubi): Wednesday. Japanese weekdays run on the classical elements, so a lone 水 on a calendar means Wednesday.
- 香水 (kousui): perfume, literally “fragrant water.”
- 水族館 (suizokukan): aquarium.
You will also meet it in 洪水 (kouzui, flood) and in 水泳 (suiei, swimming). Water in Japanese culture is closely tied to purification, from the rinsing basin at a shrine gate to the forest streams of shinrin-yoku.
As a Tattoo
水 is one of the best-behaved kanji for skin. Four strokes, strong diagonal symmetry, a natural center point, and enough white space that it will not blur into a blob after a decade. It reads clearly at wrist scale and looks deliberate at shoulder scale.
Know what it says. The bare character means water, plainly, and secondarily Wednesday. It does not by itself say “flow,” “adaptability,” or “calm,” however much those ideas attach to water in English. Japanese readers see the substance first.
If you want the poetic register, consider 海 (umi, sea, 9 strokes), 川 (kawa, river, 3 strokes), or 雫 (shizuku, a droplet, 11 strokes, common in names and lyrics). Each carries mood where 水 carries fact. For an elemental set, 水 pairs naturally with 火 and 木.
Check unchecked pairings, as always. 水 combines into ordinary words with their own meanings, including 水商売 (mizu shoubai), the “water trade,” which refers to nightlife and hostess bars.
The character is written identically in Japanese and both forms of Chinese, so the shape is not in question. A brushed rendering lets the two side strokes flick; a printed form keeps the balance strict. Confirm with a native speaker before you ink.
Preview it vertically or horizontally in the Japanese Tattoo Generator, and see how water motifs work across the tradition in our guide to japanese tattoo meanings.
Related Kanji
FAQ
What is the kanji for water?
The kanji for water is 水, read mizu alone and sui in compounds. It has four strokes and appears in 水曜日 (suiyoubi, Wednesday), 香水 (kousui, perfume), and 水族館 (suizokukan, aquarium).
What is the difference between 水 and お湯?
水 (mizu) is cold or room-temperature water. Hot water is お湯 (oyu), written with 湯. Japanese treats them as two different substances rather than one substance at two temperatures.
Is 水 one of the Japanese elements?
Yes. In the 五大 (godai) set of Buddhist elements, the order is 地水火風空: earth, water, fire, wind, and void. Water is the yielding element that takes the shape of its container.
Does 水 mean Wednesday?
As shorthand, yes. 水曜日 (suiyoubi) is Wednesday, and calendars abbreviate it to a single 水. In a date context the character means the day, not the element.