Japanese symbol for “becoming”

相応

そうおう

Romaji: souou

suitable; appropriate; befitting; becoming

In Japanese, becoming is 相応, read そうおう (souou).

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, adj-no, n suitable; appropriate; befitting; becoming; adequate; reasonable
n, vi, vs conjoining; association; samprayukta (Buddh)

Kanji and stroke order

相

inter-, mutual, together

on: ソウ、ショウ
kun: あい-

9 strokes · JLPT 2

応

apply, answer, yes

on: オウ、ヨウ、-ノウ
kun: あた.る、まさに、こた.える

7 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “becoming”

Word	Reading	Meaning
化	か ka	change to ...; becoming ...; making into ...
似合い	にあい niai	well-matched (esp. of a couple); becoming; suitable
お似合い	おにあい oniai	well-matched (esp. of a couple); becoming; suitable
似つかわしい	につかわしい nitsukawashii	suitable; appropriate; becoming
似合わしい	にあわしい niawashii	well-matched; suitable; becoming

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
相手	あいて aite	companion; partner; company
相談	そうだん soudan	consultation; discussion; discussing
相当	そうとう soutou	corresponding to (in meaning, function, etc.); being equivalent to
首相	しゅしょう shushou	prime minister; chancellor (Germany, Austria, etc.); premier
相互	そうご sougo	mutual; reciprocal
相撲	すもう sumou	sumo (wrestling)
対応	たいおう taiou	correspondence (to); equivalence
反応	はんのう hannou	reaction; response

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.