Japanese symbol for “esteem”
尊重
そんちょう
Romaji: sonchou
respect; esteem; regard
In Japanese, esteem is 尊重, read そんちょう (sonchou).
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 respect; esteem; regard
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “esteem”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 尊敬 | そんけい sonkei | respect; esteem; reverence |
| 重んじる | おもんじる omonjiru | to respect; to honor; to honour |
| 自尊 | じそん jison | self-respect; esteem; self-importance |
| 相場 | そうば souba | reputation (according to conventional wisdom); estimation; esteem |
| 尊ぶ | とうとぶ toutobu | to value; to prize; to esteem |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 尊敬 | そんけい sonkei | respect; esteem; reverence |
| 尊厳 | そんげん songen | dignity; majesty; sanctity |
| 本尊 | ほんぞん honzon | principal object of worship (at a Buddhist temple); principal image |
| 自尊 | じそん jison | self-respect; esteem; self-importance |
| 男尊女卑 | だんそんじょひ dansonjohi | male domination of women; male chauvinism; subjection of women |
| 重要 | じゅうよう juuyou | important; essential; significant |
| 体重 | たいじゅう taijuu | (body) weight |
| 貴重 | きちょう kichou | precious; valuable |
See also: Chinese symbol for “esteem”.
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.