Japanese symbol for “appropriateness”

剴切

がいせつ

Romaji: gaisetsu

appropriateness; adequacy; aptness; relevance

In Japanese, appropriateness is 剴切, read がいせつ (gaisetsu).

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

adj-na, n appropriateness; adequacy; aptness; relevance

Kanji and stroke order

剴

scythe, suitability

on: ガイ、カイ

12 strokes

切

cut, cutoff, be sharp

on: セツ、サイ
kun: き.る、-き.る、き.り、-き.り

4 strokes · JLPT 3

Other Japanese words for “appropriateness”

Word	Reading	Meaning
正当性	せいとうせい seitousei	lawfulness; propriety; reasonableness

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
大切	たいせつ taisetsu	important; significant; serious
一切	いっさい issai	all; everything; entirety
適切	てきせつ tekisetsu	appropriate; suitable; fitting
切り	きり kiri	end; finish; place to stop
切る	きる kiru	to cut; to cut through; to perform (surgery)
親切	しんせつ shinsetsu	kind; gentle; considerate

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.