Japanese symbol for “defendant”
被告
ひこく
Romaji: hikoku
defendant; the accused
In Japanese, defendant is 被告, read ひこく (hikoku).
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 defendant; the accused (law)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “defendant”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 被告人 | ひこくにん hikokunin | accused; defendant; prisoner at the bar |
| 刑事被告人 | けいじひこくにん keijihikokunin | accused; defendant; prisoner at the bar |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 被害 | ひがい higai | (suffering) damage; injury; harm |
| 被災 | ひさい hisai | suffering (from a disaster); being hit (by an earthquake, typhoon, etc.); falling victim (to) |
| 被爆 | ひばく hibaku | being bombed |
| 被写体 | ひしゃたい hishatai | (photographic) subject |
| 被る | かぶる kaburu | to put on (one's head); to wear; to have on |
| 報告 | ほうこく houkoku | report; information |
| 広告 | こうこく koukoku | advertisement; advertising |
| 警告 | けいこく keikoku | warning; caution; admonition |
See also: Chinese symbol for “defendant”.
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.