King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “autocracy”

Romaji: dokusai
dictatorship; despotism; autocracy

In Japanese, autocracy is , read (dokusai).

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

  1. n, vi, vs dictatorship; despotism; autocracy
  2. n, vi, vs running (a company, etc.) despotically

Kanji and stroke order

single, alone, spontaneously
on: ドク、トク
kun: ひと.り
9 strokes · JLPT 2
tailor, judge, decision
on: サイ
kun: た.つ、さば.く
12 strokes · JLPT 1

Other Japanese words for “autocracy”

WordReadingMeaning
せんせい senseidespotism; autocracy
せんせい senseiautocracy
せんせいせいじ senseiseijidespotic government; autocracy
オートクラシー ootokurashiiautocracy

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
どくとく dokutokupeculiarity; uniqueness; characteristic
どくじ dokujioriginal; unique; distinctive
どくりつ dokuritsuindependence; self-reliance; supporting oneself
どくせん dokusenmonopoly; monopolization; exclusivity
こどく kodokusolitude; loneliness; isolation
どくしん dokushinunmarried; single
さいばん saibantrial; judgement; judgment
さいばんしょ saibanshocourt; courthouse

See also: Chinese symbol for “autocracy”.

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.