Japanese symbol for “certainly”
是非
ぜひ
Romaji: zehi
certainly; without fail
In Japanese, certainly is 是非, read ぜひ (zehi).
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
- adv certainly; without fail
- n right and wrong; pros and cons
Written forms: 是非、是否. Readings: ぜひ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “certainly”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 必ず | かならず kanarazu | always; without exception; necessarily |
| 大丈夫 | だいじょうぶ daijoubu | certainly; surely; undoubtedly |
| とも | とも tomo | certainly; of course; to be sure |
| 無論 | むろん muron | of course; certainly; naturally |
| 正しく | まさしく masashiku | certainly; surely; undoubtedly |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 是正 | ぜせい zesei | correction; revision; redressing |
| 是認 | ぜにん zenin | approval; approbation; endorsement |
| 国是 | こくぜ kokuze | national policy |
| 党是 | とうぜ touze | party platform; party principles |
| 社是 | しゃぜ shaze | company policy |
| 非常 | ひじょう hijou | emergency |
| 非難 | ひなん hinan | criticism; blame; censure |
| 非公式 | ひこうしき hikoushiki | informal; unofficial |
See also: Chinese symbol for “certainly”.
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.