Kanji for Comb

櫛 is the only character for a comb, read kushi. It is not a Jōyō kanji, so ordinary writing uses くし in kana and keeps the character for shop signs, craft catalogues and traditional contexts — boxwood combs (つげ櫛) and the combs used to dress 日本髪, traditional Japanese hairstyles. The on reading shitsu exists but is rarely needed; the character almost always stands as the plain noun.

It is worth separating from 簪 (kanzashi), the ornamental hairpin, which is what many people picture when they imagine a comb worn in the hair. A 櫛 is the working tool with teeth; a 簪 is a pin pushed through the hair to hold and decorate it.

One piece of custom is worth knowing: combs are avoided as gifts in Japan, because kushi can be heard as ku-shi, 苦 (suffering) plus 死 (death). The sound rather than the character causes the problem, but it shapes how the object is treated.