Japanese symbol for “discriminatory”

差別的

さべつてき

Romaji: sabetsuteki

discriminatory; discriminative

In Japanese, discriminatory is 差別的, read さべつてき (sabetsuteki).

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

adj-na discriminatory; discriminative

Kanji and stroke order

差

distinction, difference, variation

on: サ
kun: さ.す、さ.し

10 strokes · JLPT 2

別

separate, branch off, diverge

on: ベツ
kun: わか.れる、わ.ける

7 strokes · JLPT 3

的

bull's eye, mark, target

on: テキ
kun: まと

8 strokes · JLPT 2

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
差別	さべつ sabetsu	distinction; differentiation; discrimination
格差	かくさ kakusa	qualitative difference; disparity; gap
交差点	こうさてん kousaten	crossing; intersection
時差	じさ jisa	time difference
日差し	ひざし hizashi	sunlight; rays of the Sun
誤差	ごさ gosa	measurement error; calculation error
特別	とくべつ tokubetsu	special; particular; extraordinary
別に	べつに betsuni	(not) particularly; (not) especially; (not) specially
目的	もくてき mokuteki	purpose; goal; aim

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.