King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “complementary”

Romaji: hosokuteki
complementary; supplementary

In Japanese, complementary is , read (hosokuteki).

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. adj-na complementary; supplementary

Kanji and stroke order

supplement, supply, make good
on: ホ
kun: おぎな.う
12 strokes · JLPT 2
leg, foot, be sufficient
on: ソク
kun: あし、た.りる、た.る、た.す
7 strokes · JLPT 4
bull's eye, mark, target
on: テキ
kun: まと
8 strokes · JLPT 2

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
こうほ kouhocandidate; contender; prospect
ほじょ hojoassistance; support; help
ほきゅう hokyuusupply; supplying; replenishment
ほしょう hoshoucompensation; reparation
りっこうほ rikkouhocandidacy; standing as a candidate; bidding (to host an event, e.g. the Olympics)
ほさ hosaaid; help; assistance
まんぞく manzokusatisfaction; contentment; gratification
ふそく fusokuinsufficiency; deficiency; shortage
もくてき mokutekipurpose; goal; aim

See also: Chinese symbol for “complementary”.

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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