Japanese symbol for “contracting”

請負

うけおい

Romaji: ukeoi

contract (for work); contracting; undertaking

In Japanese, contracting is 請負, read うけおい (ukeoi).

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 contract (for work); contracting; undertaking

Written forms: 請負、請け負い. Readings: うけおい.

Kanji and stroke order

請

solicit, invite, ask

on: セイ、シン、ショウ
kun: こ.う、う.ける

15 strokes · JLPT 1

負

defeat, negative, -

on: フ
kun: ま.ける、ま.かす、お.う

9 strokes · JLPT 2

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
申請	しんせい shinsei	application; request; petition
請求	せいきゅう seikyuu	claim; demand; charge
要請	ようせい yousei	appeal; call for something; request
請願	せいがん seigan	petition
下請け	したうけ shitauke	subcontract
負け	まけ make	defeat; loss; losing (a game)
負担	ふたん futan	burden; load; responsibility
勝負	しょうぶ shoubu	victory or defeat

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.