Japanese symbol for “cutthroat”
熾烈
しれつ
Romaji: shiretsu
fierce (fight, competition, etc.); severe; hot; hard
In Japanese, cutthroat is 熾烈, read しれつ (shiretsu).
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 fierce (fight, competition, etc.); severe; hot; hard; bitter; keen
Written forms: 熾烈、し烈. Readings: しれつ、しきれつ.
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 熾す | おこす okosu | to build (a fire); to make; to start |
| 熾火 | おきび okibi | glowing ember (either red hot charcoal or the glowing remains of burnt firewood); live charcoal |
| 熾きる | おきる okiru | to be kindled (fire); to be made |
| 熾熱 | しねつ shinetsu | intense heat |
| 熾天使 | してんし shitenshi | seraph |
| 強烈 | きょうれつ kyouretsu | strong; intense; severe |
| 猛烈 | もうれつ mouretsu | fierce; intense; severe |
| 熱烈 | ねつれつ netsuretsu | ardent; passionate; vehement |
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.
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