Japanese symbol for “abandonment”
放棄
ほうき
Romaji: houki
abandonment; renouncement; renunciation; resignation
In Japanese, abandonment is 放棄, read ほうき (houki).
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.
Meanings
- n, vs, vt abandonment; renouncement; renunciation; resignation; abdication; surrender
Written forms: 放棄、抛棄. Readings: ほうき.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “abandonment”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 投棄 | とうき touki | abandonment; giving up; throwing away |
| 遺棄 | いき iki | abandonment; desertion |
| 廃棄 | はいき haiki | disposal; abandonment; scrapping |
| 見切り | みきり mikiri | abandonment; giving up; forsaking |
| 置き去り | おきざり okizari | leaving behind; desertion; abandonment |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 放送 | ほうそう housou | broadcasting; broadcast; program |
| 解放 | かいほう kaihou | release; unleashing; liberation |
| 開放 | かいほう kaihou | opening (a door, window, etc.); leaving open |
| 放題 | ほうだい houdai | (doing) as one pleases; to one's heart's content; letting (something) go unchecked |
| 追放 | ついほう tsuihou | exile; banishment; eviction |
| 廃棄 | はいき haiki | disposal; abandonment; scrapping |
| 破棄 | はき haki | tearing up and discarding (e.g. documents); destruction |
| 棄権 | きけん kiken | abstention (from voting); renunciation (of a right); withdrawal (from a contest) |
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.
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