Japanese symbol for “discernment”
洞察
どうさつ
Romaji: dousatsu
discernment; insight
In Japanese, discernment is 洞察, read どうさつ (dousatsu).
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, vs, vt discernment; insight
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “discernment”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 識別 | しきべつ shikibetsu | distinction; discrimination; discernment |
| 目 | め me | discrimination; discernment; judgement |
| 眼鏡 | めがね megane | judgment; judgement; discrimination |
| 見識 | けんしき kenshiki | views; opinion; discernment |
| 判別 | はんべつ hanbetsu | distinction; discrimination; distinguishing |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 洞窟 | どうくつ doukutsu | cave; cavern; grotto |
| 空洞 | くうどう kuudou | cavity; hollow; cave |
| 洞穴 | ほらあな horaana | cave; cavern; den |
| 鍾乳洞 | しょうにゅうどう shounyuudou | limestone cave; limestone cavern |
| 風洞 | ふうどう fuudou | wind tunnel |
| 警察 | けいさつ keisatsu | police |
| 観察 | かんさつ kansatsu | observation; survey; watching |
| 検察 | けんさつ kensatsu | criminal investigation; prosecution |
See also: Chinese symbol for “discernment”.
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.