Japanese symbol for “appetite”
食欲
しょくよく
Romaji: shokuyoku
appetite (for food)
In Japanese, appetite is 食欲, read しょくよく (shokuyoku).
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 appetite (for food)
Written forms: 食欲、食慾. Readings: しょくよく.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “appetite”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 欲 | よく yoku | greed; craving; desire |
| 欲望 | よくぼう yokubou | desire; appetite; lust |
| 意地 | いじ iji | appetite; desire; greed |
| 食 | しょく shoku | eating; appetite |
| 食い気 | くいけ kuike | appetite |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 食事 | しょくじ shokuji | meal (e.g. lunch, dinner) |
| 食品 | しょくひん shokuhin | food; food products; foodstuffs |
| 食べ物 | たべもの tabemono | food |
| 食料 | しょくりょう shokuryou | food |
| 食べる | たべる taberu | to eat |
| 食う | くう kuu | to eat |
| 欲しい | ほしい hoshii | wanting (to have); desiring; wishing for |
| 意欲 | いよく iyoku | will; desire; eagerness |
See also: Chinese symbol for “appetite”.
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.