Japanese symbol for “activation”
起動
きどう
Romaji: kidou
startup; booting up; activation; starting (e.g. engine, computer)
In Japanese, activation is 起動, read きどう (kidou).
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, vi, vs startup; booting up; activation; starting (e.g. engine, computer); launch
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “activation”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 賦活 | ふかつ fukatsu | activation; invigoration; stimulation |
| アクティベート | アクティベート akutibeeto | activation (of software, a device, etc.) |
| アクティベーション | アクティベーション akutibeeshon | activation |
| アクティブ化 | アクティブか akutibuka | activation |
| 有効化 | ゆうこうか yuukouka | enabling; activation; validation |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 起訴 | きそ kiso | prosecution; indictment |
| 起こる | おこる okoru | to occur; to happen |
| 起こす | おこす okosu | to raise; to raise up; to set up |
| 起きる | おきる okiru | to get up; to rise; to blaze up (fire) |
| 起源 | きげん kigen | origin; beginning; source |
| 提起 | ていき teiki | raising (a question); posing (a problem); bringing up (an issue) |
| 活動 | かつどう katsudou | activity (of a person, organization, animal, volcano, etc.); action; operation |
| 行動 | こうどう koudou | action; conduct; behaviour |
See also: Chinese symbol for “activation”.
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.