How to Read Japanese Crochet Patterns (編み図)

BeginnerReference Updated 2026-10-20

How to read a Japanese pattern, step by step

1. Check yarn, hook and strandsThe top of the pattern lists the yarn, the hook (for example 4/0号, see Japanese hook sizes) and how many strands you hold: 1本どり means one strand, 2本どり means two strands together. ゲージ is the gauge, given as stitches and rows in a 10 cm square.
2. Find the start on the chartFlat pieces start at the bottom on the foundation chain (作り目). Round pieces start in the center at わ, the yarn ring. An arrow marks where each row or round begins and which way it goes.
3. Read the symbols one by oneEach symbol is one stitch. Use the stitch table below. A symbol drawn bigger, smaller or tilted is still the same stitch; the chart only bends it to fit the shape.
4. Follow the row or round numberThe number at the edge of a flat chart (or on the ring for rounds) is the row or round, 段. Work that row in the direction of its arrow, then move up or out to the next one.
5. Check the stitch count in the tableMost patterns also have a 目数表 with the columns 段 (round), 目数 (stitch count) and 増減 (increase or decrease). Count your stitches against it at the end of every round.

Japanese crochet stitch names and symbols

Japanese charts draw each stitch as a symbol whose height matches the stitch: single crochet is 1, half double 2, double 3. The slashes across a T show how many times you wrap the yarn before inserting the hook, so each extra slash makes the next taller stitch. Japanese single crochet (細編み or こま編み, both read koma-ami) is the US single crochet, which is called double crochet in UK patterns.

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Where the hook goes: joined or separate bases

Look at the bottom of tall symbols. If several symbols grow from one base, they are all worked into the same stitch, which is an increase. If symbols start from separate bases and meet at the top, they are finished together into one stitch, which is a decrease.

The same rule tells you how to work into a chain loop. When the bases of a group of tall symbols are closed together into one point, insert the hook into the stitch itself (割って編む, “split the stitch”). When the bases are drawn apart over a chain loop, work around the whole loop instead (束にすくう, “pick up as a bundle”).

Common Japanese pattern words

立ち上がり: does the turning chain count?

Each row or round starts with a few chains that bring the yarn up to the height of the stitches in that row. Japanese patterns call this 立ち上がり (tachiagari).

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Which way to read a Japanese chart

Charts are drawn from the right side. Everything you see is how the front of the work looks, and arrows mark where each row or round starts and which way it goes.

Rows (往復編み): start at the bottom and work up. Row 1 is read right to left. You turn the work, so row 2 is read left to right, row 3 right to left again, in a zigzag. The row number sits at the side of the chart; some books put it on the right and others on the left, so follow the number and arrow.

Rounds (輪編み): start in the center at わ and read outward, one ring per round, counterclockwise (左回り, “turning left”) as seen from the right side. You never turn, so every round goes the same way.

These directions are for right-handed crocheters; Japanese charts are drawn for right-handed work. If you crochet left-handed, work the chart as a mirror image, so rounds go clockwise.

How to read a 目数・増減表 (stitch count table)

Many Japanese amigurumi patterns print a table next to each chart with the columns 段 (round), 目数 (stitches at the end of the round) and 増減 (how many to increase or decrease). A note like 毎段6目増 written beside several rows applies to every round in that bracket. Here is how the start of a body piece in a Hamanaka-designed rabbit pattern reads:

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Japanese vs English patterns: what changes

• No written rounds. English patterns write “Rnd 3: (sc 1, inc) ×6”. Japanese patterns often draw it and give only the count in the table, so the chart is the instructions.
• Translate to US terms. 細編み is US single crochet and 長編み is US double crochet. If you use UK patterns, see US vs UK crochet terms.
• Hooks are numbered, not lettered. 4/0号 or 7/0号 is a hook size name, not a fraction. Convert it in Japanese hook sizes in mm.
• The symbols are the same ones used in English and Chinese charts. See how to read a crochet chart for more symbols.

Chart symbols on this page

Frequently asked questions

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