Japanese symbol for “courteous”
丁寧
ていねい
Romaji: teinei
polite; courteous; civil
In Japanese, courteous is 丁寧, read ていねい (teinei).
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
- adj-na, n polite; courteous; civil
- adj-na, n careful; close; thorough; conscientious
Written forms: 丁寧、叮嚀、鄭寧. Readings: ていねい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “courteous”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 丁重 | ていちょう teichou | polite; courteous; hospitable |
| 手厚い | てあつい teatsui | warm (treatment, reception, etc.); kind; cordial |
| 懇ろ | ねんごろ nengoro | kind; courteous; hospitable |
| 慇懃 | いんぎん ingin | polite; courteous; civil |
| 礼儀正しい | れいぎただしい reigitadashii | courteous; decorous; polite |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 包丁 | ほうちょう houchou | kitchen knife |
| 丁重 | ていちょう teichou | polite; courteous; hospitable |
| 装丁 | そうてい soutei | binding (of a book) |
| 丁度 | ちょうど choudo | exactly; precisely; just |
| 横丁 | よこちょう yokochou | bystreet; side street; back street |
| 寧ろ | むしろ mushiro | rather; better; instead |
| 安寧 | あんねい annei | (public) peace; stability; tranquility |
| 安寧秩序 | あんねいちつじょ anneichitsujo | peace and order; law and order |
See also: Chinese symbol for “courteous”.
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.