King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “despotism”

Romaji: sensei
despotism; autocracy

In Japanese, despotism is , read (sensei).

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. adj-no, n, vs despotism; autocracy

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

specialty, exclusive, mainly
on: セン
kun: もっぱ.ら
9 strokes · JLPT 2
system, law, rule
on: セイ
8 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “despotism”

WordReadingMeaning
どくさい dokusaidictatorship; despotism; autocracy
おうぼう oubouviolence; oppression; high-handedness
あっせい asseioppressive rule; tyrannical regime; despotism
せんおう sen'ouarbitrariness; despotism; high-handedness
あっせい asseioppression; tyranny; despotism

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
せんもん senmonspeciality; specialty; special subject of study
せんよう sen'you(one's) exclusive use; private use; personal use
せんこう senkoumajor subject; special study
せんむ senmuspecial duty; being in sole charge of a duty
せんねん sennenabsorption; giving undivided attention; devoting oneself (to)
せんぎょう sengyouspecial occupation; principal occupation; specialty
せいど seidosystem; institution; organization
せいげん seigenrestriction; restraint; limitation

See also: Chinese symbol for “despotism”.

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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