Japanese symbol for “causation”
縁起
えんぎ
Romaji: engi
omen; sign of luck
In Japanese, causation is 縁起, read えんぎ (engi).
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 omen; sign of luck
- n origin; history; causation
- n dependent arising; doctrine that everything has a cause and there is nothing that arises out of nothing (Buddh)
Written forms: 縁起. Readings: えんぎ、いんえん.
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 無縁 | むえん muen | unrelated; unconnected; irrelevant |
| 血縁 | けつえん ketsuen | blood relationship; consanguinity |
| 因縁 | いんねん innen | fate; destiny |
| 額縁 | がくぶち gakubuchi | (picture) frame |
| 縁側 | えんがわ engawa | engawa; external corridor on the outer side of traditional Japanese houses |
| 起訴 | きそ kiso | prosecution; indictment |
| 起こる | おこる okoru | to occur; to happen |
| 起こす | おこす okosu | to raise; to raise up; to set up |
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.