King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “boyfriend”

Romaji: kareshi
boyfriend

In Japanese, boyfriend is , read (kareshi).

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 boyfriend
  2. pn he; him

Kanji and stroke order

he, that, the
on: ヒ
kun: かれ、かの、か.の
8 strokes · JLPT 2
family name, surname, clan
on: シ
kun: うじ、-うじ
4 strokes · JLPT 1

Other Japanese words for “boyfriend”

WordReadingMeaning
こいびと koibitolover; sweetheart; boyfriend
おとこ otokomale lover; boyfriend; man
かれ kareboyfriend
ボーイフレンド booifurendoboyfriend; male friend
かれピッピ karepippiboyfriend; almost boyfriend

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
かのじょ kanojoshe; her
かれら karerathey; them
かなた kanatabeyond; across; the other side
ひがん higanequinoctial week (when Buddhist services are held)
しめい shimei(full) name; identity
どうし doushithe said person; he; she
りょうし ryoushiboth persons
しぞく shizokuclan; family

See also: Chinese symbol for “boyfriend”.

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.

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