Japanese symbol for “betraying”

反覆

はんぷく

Romaji: hanpuku

changing one's mind (and betraying someone); turning traitor (to); betraying; double-crossing

In Japanese, betraying is 反覆, read はんぷく (hanpuku).

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, vi, vs changing one's mind (and betraying someone); turning traitor (to); betraying; double-crossing; having a change of heart
n, vi, vs reversing; turning around; flipping; turning upside down
n, vs, vt repetition; repeat; reiteration

Kanji and stroke order

反

anti-

on: ハン、ホン、タン、ホ
kun: そ.る、そ.らす、かえ.す、かえ.る

4 strokes · JLPT 2

覆

capsize, cover, shade

on: フク
kun: おお.う、くつがえ.す、くつがえ.る

18 strokes · JLPT 1

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
反対	はんたい hantai	opposition; resistance; antagonism
反応	はんのう hannou	reaction; response
違反	いはん ihan	violation; offense; offence
反発	はんぱつ hanpatsu	opposition; rebellion; revolt
反省	はんせい hansei	reflection; reconsideration; introspection
反乱	はんらん hanran	insurrection; mutiny; rebellion
覆う	おおう oou	to cover; to hide; to conceal
転覆	てんぷく tenpuku	overturning; capsizing

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.