Japanese symbol for “control”
管理
かんり
Romaji: kanri
control; management (e.g. of a business)
In Japanese, control is 管理, read かんり (kanri).
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, vs, vt control; management (e.g. of a business)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “control”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 制御 | せいぎょ seigyo | control (of a machine, device, etc.) |
| 抑制 | よくせい yokusei | control; restraint; suppression |
| 監督 | かんとく kantoku | supervision; control; superintendence |
| 支配 | しはい shihai | rule; domination; control |
| 規制 | きせい kisei | regulation; (traffic) policing; control |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 保管 | ほかん hokan | charge; custody; safekeeping |
| 血管 | けっかん kekkan | blood vessel; vein |
| 管轄 | かんかつ kankatsu | jurisdiction; control |
| 管制 | かんせい kansei | control (by the state); controlling; coordination |
| 配管 | はいかん haikan | plumbing; piping |
| 理由 | りゆう riyuu | reason; grounds; pretext |
| 理解 | りかい rikai | understanding; comprehension; appreciation |
| 無理 | むり muri | unreasonable; unnatural; unjustifiable |
See also: Chinese symbol for “control”.
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.