Japanese symbol for “afterlife”
来世
らいせ
Romaji: raise
afterlife; the next world; the world beyond
In Japanese, afterlife is 来世, read らいせ (raise).
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 afterlife; the next world; the world beyond (Buddh)
Written forms: 来世. Readings: らいせ、らいせい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “afterlife”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 後生 | ごしょう goshou | afterlife |
| 後世 | ごせ gose | the next world; afterlife; life after death |
| 当来 | とうらい tourai | afterlife; the hereafter |
| 隠り世 | かくりよ kakuriyo | afterlife; realm of the dead |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 未来 | みらい mirai | (distant) future |
| 出来る | できる dekiru | to be able to do; to be possible; to be permitted (to do) |
| 以来 | いらい irai | since; henceforth |
| 将来 | しょうらい shourai | future; (future) prospects |
| 本来 | ほんらい honrai | originally; primarily |
| 来る | くる kuru | to come (spatially or temporally); to approach; to arrive |
| 世界 | せかい sekai | the world; society; the universe |
| 世代 | せだい sedai | generation |
See also: Chinese symbol for “afterlife”.
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.