Japanese symbol for “departed”
故人
こじん
Romaji: kojin
the deceased; the departed
In Japanese, departed is 故人, read こじん (kojin).
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 the deceased; the departed
- n old friend; longtime acquaintance
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “departed”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 亡き | なき naki | deceased; late; dead |
| 今は亡き | いまはなき imahanaki | departed; deceased |
| 死せる | しせる shiseru | dead; departed |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 事故 | じこ jiko | accident; incident; trouble |
| 故障 | こしょう koshou | fault; trouble; breakdown |
| 故郷 | ふるさと furusato | hometown; birthplace; native place |
| 故意 | こい koi | intent; intention; bad faith |
| 故に | ゆえに yueni | therefore; consequently |
| 何故 | なにゆえ naniyue | why |
| 人間 | にんげん ningen | human being; human; person |
| 個人 | こじん kojin | individual; private person; personal |
See also: Chinese symbol for “departed”.
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.