Japanese symbol for “fallow”

遊休

ゆうきゅう

Romaji: yuukyuu

idle; unused; fallow

In Japanese, fallow is 遊休, read ゆうきゅう (yuukyuu).

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 idle; unused; fallow

Kanji and stroke order

遊

play

on: ユウ、ユ
kun: あそ.ぶ、あそ.ばす

12 strokes · JLPT 2

休

rest, day off, retire

on: キュウ
kun: やす.む、やす.まる、やす.める

6 strokes · JLPT 4

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
遊び	あそび asobi	play; playing; game
遊ぶ	あそぶ asobu	to play (games, sports); to enjoy oneself; to have a good time
遊戯	ゆうぎ yuugi	play; playing; game
浮遊	ふゆう fuyuu	floating; drifting; suspension
周遊	しゅうゆう shuuyuu	(circular) tour; round trip; excursion
外遊	がいゆう gaiyuu	foreign travel
休み	やすみ yasumi	rest; recess; respite
休日	きゅうじつ kyuujitsu	holiday; day off

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.