1.
carving; engraving; sculpted work
A pattern, image, or design carved or engraved into a surface — wood, stone, metal, etc. Refers both to the act of carving and to the resulting artwork.
古い箱に美しい彫り物が施されている。
Beautiful carvings have been applied to the old box.
祖父は木の彫り物が趣味だった。
My grandfather's hobby was wood carving.
神社の欄間には細かい彫り物が施されており、職人の技に驚いた。
Detailed carvings adorn the transom of the shrine, and I was amazed at the craftsmen's skill.
江戸時代の欄間に施された細やかな彫り物は、当時の職人の高い技術を今に伝えている。
The delicate carvings on Edo-period transoms convey the high skill of the craftsmen of that era to us today.
2.
tattoo (especially a traditional Japanese-style tattoo)
An older / native term for a tattoo, traditionally associated with elaborate Japanese-style designs (irezumi). The term has cultural baggage in Japan due to historical associations with criminals and yakuza, though it is also used neutrally to refer to traditional tattoo art.
銭湯には「彫り物のある方は入浴できません」と書かれていた。
At the public bath, a sign read "People with tattoos cannot bathe here."
その老人の背中には、龍と虎の大きな彫り物が入っていた。
The old man had a large carving of a dragon and a tiger inked on his back.
彫り物 combines the verb 彫る (to carve, to engrave) with 物 (thing). It has two main senses: a carving or engraving on a physical surface, and (especially in older or traditional contexts) a tattoo.
SCOPE NOTES — TATTOO SENSE:
- The tattoo sense (彫り物 = irezumi) is the older, native term for tattoo, especially a traditional Japanese full-back or full-body design.
- In modern Japan, the more neutral term is タトゥー (loanword), used for any kind of tattoo.
- 入れ墨 (刺青) is another term, often used in legal/news contexts and historically associated with the yakuza.
- Tattoos still carry social stigma in Japan, and many onsen, public baths, gyms, and pools prohibit guests with visible 彫り物 or タトゥー.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 彫り物を施す: to apply / put carving on (something)
- 彫り物が入っている: to have a tattoo (sense 2); to have carvings on (sense 1)
- 木の彫り物: wood carving
- 彫り物師: carver / sculptor (or, in sense 2, traditional tattoo artist)
RELATED TERMS:
- 彫る: to carve, to engrave (also "to dig")
- 彫刻: sculpture; carving (more formal/technical term)
- 刺青: tattoo (legal/news term, often with negative connotation)
- タトゥー: tattoo (modern, neutral loanword)
- 彫像: sculpture, statue
USAGE NOTES:
- In sense 1 (carving), 彫り物 feels slightly informal compared to 彫刻 (which is the standard art-history term).
- In sense 2 (tattoo), 彫り物 suggests traditional Japanese-style work (irezumi); for a small fashion tattoo, タトゥー is more natural.