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HACHI
八
eight
✎ Editor's glosseight — or simply "many"
Naruto · Weapons · Kanji file 038
Yasaka Magatama 八坂ノ勾玉
Pronounced ya·sa·ka no ma·ga·ta·ma
The Yasaka Magatama (八坂ノ勾玉) is one of the Three Imperial Regalia of Japanese mythology. A magatama is an ancient curved jewel, shaped like a comma. When Amaterasu hid herself in the cave, it was hung on a sacred sakaki tree together with the mirror. In the myth its name is written 八尺瓊勾玉: yasaka means "great," and 瓊 a red jewel — thought to be agate. The great jewel, curved. In Naruto, it appears as the long-range attack of Itachi's Susanoo — and here's the stylish part: the magatama are hurled like giant shuriken. Madara, too, uses it as one of his big techniques.
⛩ Appears in Japanese mythologyOne of the Three Imperial Regalia
📖 Databook: Jin no Sho, p. 301
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Breaking down the kanji
Here's what each character means — and how to write it. In Japan, following the correct stroke order is considered the key to writing kanji beautifully. Readings, stroke counts and core meanings below come directly from the KANJIDIC2 dictionary database. The red ✎ line is the editor's gloss — the meaning that is actually alive in this name, chosen by our editors from a Japanese kanji dictionary.
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HAN
坂
slope · incline · hill
✎ Editor's glossa slope; an inclined road
3 / 4
KŌ
勾
be bent · slope · capture
✎ Editor's glossto bend — bent like an L
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GYOKU
玉
jewel · ball
✎ Editor's glossa beautiful stone; a jewel
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Original artwork — free to save
The kanji, on one sheet
A reference card we drew ourselves — the characters in Japanese brush style.
Quick answers
FAQ
How many strokes is 八坂ノ勾玉?
19 in total: 八 is 2, 坂 is 7, ノ is 1, 勾 is 4, 玉 is 5.
How do you pronounce Yasaka Magatama?
Say it ya·sa·ka no ma·ga·ta·ma (八坂ノ勾玉). Japanese has no strong word stress: give each syllable about the same length and weight, and keep the vowels short and clear — a as in “father,” i as in “machine,” u as in “food,” e as in “met,” o as in “go.”
What characters make up Yasaka Magatama?
八坂ノ勾玉 — 八, then 坂, then ノ, then 勾, then 玉. Core meanings from the KANJIDIC2 dictionary database: 八 eight · eight radical (no. 12); 坂 slope · incline; 勾 be bent · slope; 玉 jewel · ball.
Can I use the copied kanji anywhere?
Yes — it's standard Unicode text and works on any modern OS. One caution before you print or ink it: make sure the font is a Japanese one. Some fonts render the same characters in Chinese style, and the difference shows.