Japanese knitting chart symbols: how to read them and how to knit them
Japanese stitch books have almost no text: everything is in the chart. Here is how to read it and what each symbol means, from plain knits to knots and crochet-hook bobbles. The same symbols are in our chart editor, so you can draw your own pattern right away.
How to read a Japanese chart
The chart shows the fabric from the right side: one square is one stitch, one row of squares is one row. Read from the bottom up. Right-side rows go from right to left, worked as drawn. Wrong-side rows go from left to right and you work the opposite: purl the knits, and “k2tog” becomes “p2tog”. In the round, every row is read from right to left.
A grey square means “no stitch” — skip it. Small numbers 1, 2, 3 under a complex element give the order of the stitches on the left needle before you start: no. 1 is closest to the tip. A frame marks the repeat. Full details with examples are in the lesson How to read Japanese knitting charts.
Basic symbols
| Symbol | Meaning and how to knit |
|---|---|
| knit (purl on WS) | |
| purl (knit on WS) | |
| yo | |
| k2tog, right-leaning | |
| ssk: left-leaning decrease | |
| centered double decrease (CDD) |
Advanced elements
These are almost always worked from the right side. Knots and wraps take several squares in a row.
| Symbol | Meaning and how to knit |
|---|---|
| knit through the back loop (twisted) Insert the right needle into the stitch from behind, through the back loop. Knit it — the stitch twists and sits as a crisp little braid. On the wrong side: purl through the back loop. | |
| twisted right-leaning decrease Slip the 1st stitch from the left needle to the right purlwise, without turning it. Slip the 2nd stitch knitwise — it turns. Return both stitches to the left needle without changing how they sit. Knit them together. The turned stitch lands on top, so it is twisted. Lesson → | |
| twisted left-leaning decrease Slip 1 stitch purlwise to the right needle with the yarn at the back. Knit the next stitch. Pass the slipped stitch over the knitted one with the left needle. Lesson → | |
| twisted double decrease leaning right Slip 2 stitches to the right needle purlwise, without turning them. Slip the 3rd stitch knitwise — it turns. Return all 3 stitches to the left needle without changing how they sit. Knit 3 together. The turned stitch lands on top. Lesson → | |
| twisted double decrease leaning left Slip 1 stitch purlwise to the right needle with the yarn at the back. Knit the next 2 stitches together. Pass the slipped stitch over the resulting stitch. Lesson → | |
| 3-stitch knot (3 cells) Insert the right needle into the 3rd stitch on the left needle. Lift it over the 1st and 2nd stitches and off the needle. Knit 1, yarn over, knit 1. Lesson → | |
| 3 stitches wrapped twice (3 cells) Work the stitches of the group as charted (most often knit 3) and slip them onto a cable needle. Bring the working yarn to the front and wrap it around the gathered stitches counter-clockwise as many times as the chart shows (most often 2). Take the yarn to the back and move the stitches from the cable needle to the right needle. Lesson → | |
| knitted bobble (5 stitches from one) Into one stitch work in turn: knit, yarn over, knit, yarn over, knit — 5 stitches. Turn, purl 5; turn, knit 5. Pass the 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st stitches over the last one — back to 1 stitch. | |
| crochet-hook bobble of 3 double crochets Insert the hook into the next stitch on the left needle as if to knit, pull up a loop and drop the stitch from the left needle. Chain 2 — this stands in for the height of the first double crochet. Yarn over, insert the hook into the same stitch, pull up a loop, yarn over and draw through 2 loops on the hook. Repeat twice more — 4 loops on the hook. Yarn over and draw through all loops on the hook. Move the loop from the hook to the right needle. Lesson → | |
| knit into the stitch 3 rows below Find the stitch 3 rows below the current stitch on the left needle — in the same column. Insert the right needle into its centre and knit, pulling up a long loop. Drop the current stitch from the left needle: it unravels down to the new stitch, leaving horizontal strands behind it. Lesson → |
More techniques from Japanese charts
- Three-stitch cable with a centre purl
- Bobble from the stitch 3 rows below
- Gathered stitch — a tuck from the stitch 5 rows below
- Wrong-side decreases that look right from the right side
- All knitting techniques with illustrations
Your own chart with these symbols
The lace chart editor has every symbol on this page. Place symbols in the squares and the builder checks the stitch balance, writes out every row and shows how to knit each advanced element right under the chart. If a knot lands in a wrong-side row or doesn’t take 3 squares, the editor tells you.
FAQ
Why are Japanese charts read from the right side?
Because that shows the finished pattern. A symbol shows how the stitch looks from the outside; in wrong-side rows you work the opposite to get that look.
What do the small numbers under a symbol mean?
The order of the stitches on the left needle before you start the element: no. 1 is closest to the tip. The instructions use these numbers to say which stitch to slip, pass over or knit first.
Are bobbles in Japanese charts made with a crochet hook?
Often, yes: an oval with lines inside is a crochet-hook bobble made of double crochets. It is quicker than a knitted bobble and comes out more even.