Chinese symbol for “retainer”
从
cóng
Traditional: 從
from; through; via; (bound form) to follow; (bound form) to obey; (bound form) to engage in (an activity)
The closest CC-CEDICT match for retainer is 从 (cóng), defined as: from; through; via; (bound form) to follow; (bound form) to obey; (bound form) to engage in (an activity); (used before a negative) ever; (bound form) (Taiwan pr. [zong4]) retainer; attendant.
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Traditional forms
Other Chinese words for “retainer”
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 保持器 | bǎo chí qì | (orthodontics) retainer |
| 侍从 (侍從) | shì cóng | to serve (an important personage); attendant; retainer |
Related words
Other words that share a character with 从.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 从事 (從事) | cóng shì | to go for; to engage in |
| 从而 (從而) | cóng ér | thus; thereby |
| 从来 (從來) | cóng lái | always; at all times |
| 自从 (自從) | zì cóng | since (a time); ever since |
| 从未 (從未) | cóng wèi | never |
| 从此 (從此) | cóng cǐ | from now on; since then |
See also: Japanese symbol for “retainer”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.