Japanese symbol for “decency”
義理
ぎり
Romaji: giri
duty; sense of duty; honor; honour
In Japanese, decency is 義理, read ぎり (giri).
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-no, n duty; sense of duty; honor; honour; decency; courtesy
- adj-no in-law; relation by marriage
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “decency”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 具合 | ぐあい guai | face; dignity; decency |
| 世間体 | せけんてい sekentei | appearance (in the eyes of society); decency |
| 体裁 | ていさい teisai | appearances; decency; show |
| ディセンシー | ディセンシー disenshii | decency |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 主義 | しゅぎ shugi | doctrine; rule; principle |
| 正義 | せいぎ seigi | justice; right; righteousness |
| 義務 | ぎむ gimu | duty; obligation; responsibility |
| 定義 | ていぎ teigi | definition |
| 意義 | いぎ igi | meaning; significance |
| 講義 | こうぎ kougi | lecture |
| 理由 | りゆう riyuu | reason; grounds; pretext |
| 理解 | りかい rikai | understanding; comprehension; appreciation |
See also: Chinese symbol for “decency”.
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.