Japanese symbol for “apology”
謝罪
しゃざい
Romaji: shazai
apology
In Japanese, apology is 謝罪, read しゃざい (shazai).
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 apology
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “apology”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 申し訳 | もうしわけ moushiwake | apology; excuse |
| お詫び | おわび owabi | apology |
| 弁明 | べんめい benmei | explanation; excuse; clarification |
| 陳謝 | ちんしゃ chinsha | apology |
| 詫び | わび wabi | apology |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 感謝 | かんしゃ kansha | thanks; gratitude; appreciation |
| 謝る | あやまる ayamaru | to apologize (apologise) |
| 代謝 | たいしゃ taisha | metabolism |
| 慰謝 | いしゃ isha | consolation |
| 謝礼 | しゃれい sharei | reward; honorarium; remuneration |
| 犯罪 | はんざい hanzai | crime; offence; offense |
| 無罪 | むざい muzai | innocence; being not guilty |
| 有罪 | ゆうざい yuuzai | guilt; culpability |
See also: Chinese symbol for “apology”.
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.