King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “earnest”

Romaji: setsujitsu
earnest; sincere; acute; keen

In Japanese, earnest is , read (setsujitsu).

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-na, n earnest; sincere; acute; keen; fervent
  2. adj-na, n pressing; urgent; serious; severe
  3. adj-na, n pertinent; appropriate

Kanji and stroke order

cut, cutoff, be sharp
on: セツ、サイ
kun: き.る、-き.る、き.り、-き.り
4 strokes · JLPT 3
reality, truth, seed
on: ジツ、シツ
kun: み、みの.る、まこと、みの
8 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “earnest”

WordReadingMeaning
しんけん shinkenserious; earnest
まじめ majimeserious; earnest; sober
けんめい kenmeieager; earnest; strenuous
いちず ichizusingle-minded; intent; determined
せつ setsueager; earnest; ardent

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
たいせつ taisetsuimportant; significant; serious
いっさい issaiall; everything; entirety
てきせつ tekisetsuappropriate; suitable; fitting
きり kiriend; finish; place to stop
きる kiruto cut; to cut through; to perform (surgery)
しんせつ shinsetsukind; gentle; considerate
じっさい jissaireality; actuality; truth
じつは jitsuhaas a matter of fact; by the way; to tell you the truth

See also: Chinese symbol for “earnest”.

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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