Japanese symbol for “forgive”
許す
ゆるす
Romaji: yurusu
to permit; to allow; to approve; to consent to
In Japanese, forgive is 許す, read ゆるす (yurusu).
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
- v5s, vt to permit; to allow; to approve; to consent to
- v5s, vt to forgive; to pardon; to excuse; to tolerate
- v5s, vt to exempt (someone) from; to remit; to release; to let off
- v5s, vt to acknowledge; to admit
- v5s, vt to trust; to confide in; to let one's guard down
- v5s, vt to give up (points in a game, distance in a race, etc.); to yield
Written forms: 許す、赦す、聴す. Readings: ゆるす.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “forgive”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 堪える | こらえる koraeru | to forgive; to put up with; to pardon |
| 恕する | じょする josuru | to forgive; to pardon; to excuse |
| 差し許す | さしゆるす sashiyurusu | to allow; to forgive |
| 仮す | かす kasu | to grant; to allow; to forgive |
| 無かったことにする | なかったことにする nakattakotonisuru | to forget something ever existed; to pretend something didn't happen; to put something behind one |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 許可 | きょか kyoka | permission; approval; authorization |
| 免許 | めんきょ menkyo | license; licence; permission |
| 特許 | とっきょ tokkyo | patent |
| 許容 | きょよう kyoyou | permission; allowance; acceptance |
| 許し | ゆるし yurushi | pardon; forgiveness; exemption |
See also: Chinese symbol for “forgive”.
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.