Japanese symbol for “conserving”
省
しょう
Romaji: shou
ministry; department
In Japanese, conserving is 省, read しょう (shou).
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, n-suf ministry; department
- n, n-suf province (of China)
- n-pref saving; conserving
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 反省 | はんせい hansei | reflection; reconsideration; introspection |
| 外務省 | がいむしょう gaimushou | Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
| 帰省 | きせい kisei | homecoming; returning home |
| 労働省 | ろうどうしょう roudoushou | Ministry of Labour (now Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) |
| 省略 | しょうりゃく shouryaku | omission; leaving out |
| 文部省 | もんぶしょう monbushou | Ministry of Education, Science and Culture (1871-2001) |
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.