Japanese symbol for “expensive”
高い
たかい
Romaji: takai
high; tall
In Japanese, expensive is 高い, read たかい (takai).
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
- adj-i high; tall
- adj-i expensive; high-priced
- adj-i high (level); above average (in degree, quality, etc.)
- adj-i loud
- adj-i high-pitched; shrill
Written forms: 高い、高価い、高ーい. Readings: たかい、たかーい、たっけー、たっかーい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “expensive”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 高価 | こうか kouka | highly priced; expensive; valuable |
| 多額 | たがく tagaku | large (amount of money); huge; hefty |
| 高貴 | こうき kouki | precious; expensive; valuable |
| 高直 | こうじき koujiki | expensive; valuable |
| 金食い | かねくい kanekui | money-eating; expensive; extravagant |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 最高 | さいこう saikou | best; supreme; wonderful |
| 高校 | こうこう koukou | senior high school; high school |
| 高校生 | こうこうせい koukousei | senior high school student |
| 高速 | こうそく kousoku | high-speed; rapid; express |
| 高齢 | こうれい kourei | advanced age; old age |
See also: Chinese symbol for “expensive”.
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.