Japanese symbol for “consciousness”
意識
いしき
Romaji: ishiki
consciousness
In Japanese, consciousness is 意識, read いしき (ishiki).
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, vi, vs consciousness
- n, vi, vs becoming aware (of); awareness; sense
- n, vi, vs mano-vijnana (mental consciousness, cognizer of sensory information) (Buddh)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “consciousness”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 気 | き ki | consciousness |
| 自覚 | じかく jikaku | self-awareness; awareness (of one's position, abilities, duty, etc.); consciousness |
| 正体 | しょうたい shoutai | consciousness; one's senses |
| 正気 | しょうき shouki | sanity; consciousness; soberness |
| 人心 | じんしん jinshin | consciousness; awareness |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 意味 | いみ imi | meaning; significance; sense |
| 注意 | ちゅうい chuui | attention; notice; heed |
| 意見 | いけん iken | opinion; view; comment |
| 用意 | ようい youi | preparation; arrangements; provision |
| 得意 | とくい tokui | satisfaction; pride; triumph |
| 認識 | にんしき ninshiki | recognition; awareness; perception |
| 知識 | ちしき chishiki | knowledge; information |
| 常識 | じょうしき joushiki | common sense; good sense; common knowledge |
See also: Chinese symbol for “consciousness”.
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.