Japanese symbol for “compliment”
褒める
ほめる
Romaji: homeru
to praise; to commend; to compliment; to speak well of
In Japanese, compliment is 褒める, read ほめる (homeru).
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
- v1, vt to praise; to commend; to compliment; to speak well of; to speak highly of
Written forms: 褒める、誉める、賞める、称める. Readings: ほめる.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “compliment”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 賛辞 | さんじ sanji | eulogy; compliment |
| 世辞 | せじ seji | flattery; compliment |
| お世辞 | おせじ oseji | flattery; compliment |
| 褒め言葉 | ほめことば homekotoba | words of praise; eulogy; compliment |
| コンプリメント | コンプリメント konpurimento | compliment |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 褒美 | ほうび houbi | reward; prize |
| 褒賞 | ほうしょう houshou | prize; award; reward |
| 褒章 | ほうしょう houshou | medal of honour; medal of merit |
| 紫綬褒章 | しじゅほうしょう shijuhoushou | Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon (awarded for scholarly or artistic achievement) |
| 褒貶 | ほうへん houhen | praise and censure; criticism |
See also: Chinese symbol for “compliment”.
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.