Japanese symbol for “antics”
道化
どうけ
Romaji: douke
antics; buffoonery; clowning
In Japanese, antics is 道化, read どうけ (douke).
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 antics; buffoonery; clowning
- n clown; jester
Written forms: 道化、道外. Readings: どうけ.
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 報道 | ほうどう houdou | report (of news); reporting; news |
| 道路 | どうろ douro | road; highway |
| 鉄道 | てつどう tetsudou | railroad; railway; rail transport |
| 道具 | どうぐ dougu | tool; implement; instrument |
| 北海道 | ほっかいどう hokkaidou | Hokkaido (island, prefectural-level administrative unit) |
| 水道 | すいどう suidou | water supply; water service; waterworks |
| 文化 | ぶんか bunka | culture; civilization; civilisation |
| 変化 | へんか henka | change; variation; alteration |
See also: Chinese symbol for “antics”.
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.