Japanese symbol for “determine”
決める
きめる
Romaji: kimeru
to decide; to choose; to determine; to make up one's mind
In Japanese, determine is 決める, read きめる (kimeru).
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
- v1, vt to decide; to choose; to determine; to make up one's mind; to resolve; to set one's heart on
- v1, vt to clinch (a victory); to decide (the outcome of a match)
- v1, vt to persist in doing; to go through with
- v1, vt to always do; to have made a habit of
- v1, vt to take for granted; to assume
- v1, vt to dress up; to dress to kill; to dress to the nines
Written forms: 決める、極める. Readings: きめる、キメる.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “determine”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 定める | さだめる sadameru | to decide; to determine |
| 突き止める | つきとめる tsukitomeru | to determine (esp. a culprit or underlying cause); to pin down; to ascertain |
| 決する | けっする kessuru | to decide; to determine; to resolve |
| 見極める | みきわめる mikiwameru | to ascertain; to determine; to get to the bottom of |
| 決定づける | けっていづける ketteizukeru | to decide (e.g. an outcome); to dictate; to determine |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 決定 | けってい kettei | decision; determination |
| 解決 | かいけつ kaiketsu | settlement; solution; resolution |
| 決して | けっして kesshite | (not) ever; (not) by any means; (not) in the least |
| 判決 | はんけつ hanketsu | judicial decision; judgement; judgment |
| 決勝 | けっしょう kesshou | decision of a contest |
| 決断 | けつだん ketsudan | decision; determination |
See also: Chinese symbol for “determine”.
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.