King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “clout”

Romaji: kao
face; visage; looks; (facial) features

In Japanese, clout is , read (kao).

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 face; visage; looks; (facial) features
  2. n look; (facial) expression; countenance
  3. n honor (honour); face; dignity
  4. n influence; notoriety; trust; pull; clout
  5. n representative; (the) face (of something); trademark; example
  6. n members; attendees; lineup; participants; everyone involved

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

face, expression
on: ガン
kun: かお
18 strokes · JLPT 3

Other Japanese words for “clout”

WordReadingMeaning
えいきょうりょく eikyouryokuinfluence; clout; leverage

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
えがお egaosmiling face; smile
かおぶれ kaoburepersonnel; members; lineup (of a team)
すがお sugaoface with no make-up; unpainted face
かおいろ kaoirocomplexion; skin tone; skin colour
かおつき kaotsuki(outward) looks; features; face
がんめん ganmenface (of person)

See also: Chinese symbol for “clout”.

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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