Amizu Japan

Japanese Crochet Symbols Explained: The 6 Marks You'll See in Every Chart

A Japanese crochet chart uses a handful of symbols. Learn the six basic marks with their Japanese names and US/UK terms, plus how to read the chart.

By Naruhiko (Naru) ·

Drafted in English with AI, from the sources listed at the end. How these guides are made.

On this page
  1. The six basic marks
  2. How to read the chart
  3. Why charts, not words?
  4. Reading a real chart, step by step
  5. FAQ
  6. Sources

If you open a Japanese crochet book and see a page of drawings instead of words, relax: the drawings are a small alphabet. The six marks below cover most of what you will meet in a first project. The short version:

  • Chain is an oval. Slip stitch is a small filled dot. Single crochet is a × or a +.
  • Half double, double, and treble are T-shaped marks that get taller (and gain slanted bars) as the stitch gets taller.
  • Read the chart from the bottom up, and for flat work read right to left on one row, then left to right on the next. In round work you read around the circle.
  • Japanese names mostly line up with US terms, but UK patterns shift the names by one (see the table).

The six basic marks

Japanese charts show each stitch as a picture of itself, as seen from the right side of the work. That idea is shared with US charts: the Craft Yarn Council says that “for the most part each symbol represents a stitch as it looks on the right side of the work” (Sources).

Symbol (describe)JapaneseRomajiUS termUK term
Ovalくさり編みkusari-amichain (ch)chain (ch)
Small filled dot or filled oval引き抜き編みhikinuki-amislip stitch (sl st)slip stitch (sl st)
× or +こま編み (also written 細編み)koma-amisingle crochet (sc)double crochet (dc)
T shape中長編みchū-naga-amihalf double crochet (hdc)half treble (htr)
T shape with one slanted bar長編みnaga-amidouble crochet (dc)treble (tr)
T shape with two slanted bars長々編みnaga-naga-amitreble crochet (tr)double treble (dtr)

A few notes on that table:

  • Oval for chain. All About describes the chain as an oval that, depending on the chart, may be drawn upright or tilted.
  • × and + mean the same thing for single crochet. The same All About article says so directly, so don’t hunt for a difference.
  • Slip stitch is the small dot. Craftie’s beginner guide describes it as a small black dot or a filled-in oval.
  • The bars on a T. All About explains that the slanted bars show how many times you wrap the yarn before inserting the hook, and the JIS standard (below) says the same. So 長編み (one wrap) has one bar, and 長々編み (naga-naga-ami, “long-long stitch,” two wraps) has two. 中長編み is the plain T, as on Clover’s symbol sheet.
  • Two names for single crochet. Clover’s page spells it 細編み; other sources spell it こま編み. They are the same stitch. If one book says one and another says the other, you have not found a second stitch.

Watch the US/UK trap

The English names in the table follow US usage: a Japanese こま編み is what US patterns call single crochet. If you read a UK-terms pattern as US terms, you are off by one: a UK “double crochet” is a US “single crochet,” a UK “treble” is a US “double crochet,” and so on, per LoveCrafts’ UK/US table. Chain and slip stitch are the same on both sides. The practical fix is simple: when you convert a Japanese chart, use the symbol, not the English word. Pick the US or UK name only when you write your own notes.

How to read the chart

Direction

  • Bottom to top. A Craftie beginner guide says that rows are stacked from the bottom up and each row is read from right to left.
  • Flat work (back and forth). The Japanese craft site hus tells readers to read the first row right to left and the next row left to right, alternating, because you turn the work at the end of each row.
  • Round work. In rounds you read counterclockwise: Craftie describes work such as hats and coasters as spiraling out from the center, always read right to left.

Turning chains (立ち上がり, tachiagari)

At the start of each row you chain up to the height of the stitch you will work first. This is the 立ち上がり (tachiagari, “standing up”). All About says single crochet starts with 1 chain and double crochet with 3 chains. Clover’s basics sheet draws the whole set: 1 chain for single crochet, 2 for half double, 3 for double, and 4 for treble. It adds that, for half double and taller, the turning chain counts as a stitch, while for single crochet it does not.

Increases and decreases

Several marks drawn from the same base mean several stitches worked into one stitch (an increase); hus describes 細編み2目編み入れる as two single crochets in one stitch, adding one stitch to the count. Several marks that meet at the top mean you work those stitches together (a decrease). The common names are 細編み2目編み入れる (two single crochets in one stitch) and 細編み2目一度 (single crochet two together). More on those in the わ・目・段 guide.

Why charts, not words?

Yamaha Motor’s amigurumi lesson describes a chart (編み図, amizu) as a blueprint that gives both the stitch instructions, in symbols, and the shape of the piece. It goes on to call setting a pattern down as a diagram a uniquely Japanese culture, one that is now used around the world, mainly in Asia, as amigurumi has grown popular.

A separate question you may hear: “Is this a standard?” Partly, yes. Japan’s industrial standard JIS L 0201 (編目記号, “Letter symbols for knitting stitch”; the 1995 edition, reconfirmed in October 2025) sorts its symbols into four groups: home knitting machines, needle knitting, crochet, and Afghan stitch. Its crochet group covers the stitches in this article, from chain to treble, and it says that the slanted lines on the tall-stitch symbols count the wraps of yarn on the hook. Books still print their own key, on the pattern page or in a basics section at the back, so check the key first.

Reading a real chart, step by step

  1. Find the key page (usually at the back or on the pattern page itself).
  2. Find the start: a ring (わ) in the center for round work, or a row of chain ovals along the bottom for flat work.
  3. Work the turning chain if there is one.
  4. Follow the marks in order. Say the stitch name aloud while you look at its drawing.
  5. Count the stitches at the end of each row and compare the total with any number printed with the chart.

FAQ

Is a Japanese crochet “こま編み” the same as a US single crochet? Yes. The US term single crochet (sc) matches the Japanese こま編み / 細編み. In UK terms the same stitch is called double crochet (dc), so the English word alone is not enough.

Why do I see both × and + for the same stitch? They mean the same thing, per All About’s explanation. Different publishers draw it differently.

Where do I find the symbol key? On the pattern page itself, or in a basics section at the back of the book.

Do Japanese crochet charts read right to left like knitting charts? Flat rows alternate direction as above; round work goes counterclockwise. For knitting, see how to read a Japanese knitting chart.

What about hook sizes? Japanese hooks use numbers like 2/0 or 3/0 (read “nii-rē” and “san-rē,” per Clover). Conversion is in the hook size chart.

Sources

All pages below were opened on 2026-10-17.