Japanese symbol for “exercise”
運動
うんどう
Romaji: undou
exercise; physical training; workout; sports
In Japanese, exercise is 運動, read うんどう (undou).
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, vi, vs exercise; physical training; workout; sports; athletics
- n, vi, vs appeal; campaign; drive; crusade; movement; lobbying
- n, vi, vs motion; movement
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “exercise”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 練習 | れんしゅう renshuu | practice; training; drill |
| 執行 | しっこう shikkou | execution; carrying out; performance |
| 行使 | こうし koushi | use; exercise (of one's right, authority, power, etc.) |
| 演習 | えんしゅう enshuu | practice; exercise; drill |
| 及ぼす | およぼす oyobosu | to exert (influence); to exercise; to cause (e.g. damage) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 運転 | うんてん unten | operation (of a machine); running; working |
| 運営 | うんえい un'ei | management; administration; operation |
| 運用 | うんよう un'you | making use of; application; practical use |
| 運命 | うんめい unmei | fate; destiny; lot |
| 運ぶ | はこぶ hakobu | to carry; to transport; to move |
| 活動 | かつどう katsudou | activity (of a person, organization, animal, volcano, etc.); action; operation |
| 行動 | こうどう koudou | action; conduct; behaviour |
| 動物 | どうぶつ doubutsu | animal |
See also: Chinese symbol for “exercise”.
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.