King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “deed”

Romaji: koui
act; deed; conduct

In Japanese, deed is , read (koui).

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

  1. n act; deed; conduct

Kanji and stroke order

going, journey, carry out
on: コウ、ギョウ、アン
kun: い.く、ゆ.く、-ゆ.き、-ゆき
6 strokes · JLPT 4
do, change, make
on: イ
kun: ため、な.る、な.す、す.る
9 strokes · JLPT 1

Other Japanese words for “deed”

WordReadingMeaning
おこない okonaideed; act; action
しわざ shiwazadeed (esp. negative); act; action
しょうしょ shoushodocument (of proof); certificate; paper
わざ wazadeed; act; work
しょぎょう shogyouact (usu. undesirable); action; deed

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
こうどう koudouaction; conduct; behaviour
おこなう okonauto perform; to do; to conduct oneself
ぎんこう ginkoubank; banking institution
いき ikithe way there; outbound leg; outbound trip
りょこう ryokoutravel; trip; journey
かわせ kawasemoney order; draft
いせいしゃ iseishastatesman; administrator; politician
むい muiidleness; inactivity

See also: Chinese symbol for “deed”.

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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