King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “emissary”

Romaji: shisetsu
envoy; ambassador; delegate; emissary

In Japanese, emissary is , read (shisetsu).

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. n envoy; ambassador; delegate; emissary; mission

Kanji and stroke order

use, send on a mission, order
on: シ
kun: つか.う、つか.い、-つか.い、-づか.い
8 strokes · JLPT 3
node, season, period
on: セツ、セチ
kun: ふし、-ぶし、のっと
13 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “emissary”

WordReadingMeaning
ししゃ shishamessenger; envoy; emissary
じょうし joushishogun's envoy; emissary
つかいのもの tsukainomonomessenger; envoy; emissary

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
しよう shiyouuse; application; employment
つかう tsukauto use (a tool, method, etc.); to make use of; to put to use
つかい tsukaierrand; mission; going on an errand
たいしかん taishikanembassy
こうし koushiuse; exercise (of one's right, authority, power, etc.)
たいし taishiambassador
きせつ kisetsuseason; time of year
せつやく setsuyakusaving (e.g. time, money, resources); economising; economizing

See also: Chinese symbol for “emissary”.

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.