King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “epidemic”

Romaji: ekibyou
epidemic; plague; pestilence

In Japanese, epidemic is , read (ekibyou).

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 epidemic; plague; pestilence

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

epidemic
on: エキ、ヤク
9 strokes · JLPT 1
ill, sick
on: ビョウ、ヘイ
kun: や.む、-や.み、やまい
10 strokes · JLPT 3

Other Japanese words for “epidemic”

WordReadingMeaning
りゅうこう ryuukouprevalence (of a disease); epidemic
あくえき akuekiepidemic
でんせんびょう densenbyoucontagious disease; communicable disease; transmissible disease
えきれい ekireiepidemic; plague; pestilence
びょうきのりゅうこう byoukinoryuukouepidemic

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
めんえき men'ekiimmunity; immunization; immunisation
けんえき ken'ekiquarantine; medical inspection
ぼうえき bouekicommunicable disease control (e.g. by quarantine, disinfection, etc.); prevention of epidemics
やくびょうがみ yakubyougamigod of pestilence; god who spreads infectious diseases
えきがく ekigakuepidemiology
びょういん byouinhospital; clinic; doctor's office
びょうき byoukiillness (usu. excluding minor ailments, e.g. common cold); disease; sickness
びょうじょう byoujoucondition of a patient; state of a disease; pathology

See also: Chinese symbol for “epidemic”.

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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