Japanese symbol for “formal”
正式
せいしき
Romaji: seishiki
formal; official; regular; proper
In Japanese, formal is 正式, read せいしき (seishiki).
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-na, adj-no, n formal; official; regular; proper; legal; due (formalities)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “formal”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 公式 | こうしき koushiki | official; formal |
| 正規 | せいき seiki | regular; normal; formal |
| 堅苦しい | かたくるしい katakurushii | formal; stiff; strict |
| 晴れ | はれ hare | formal; ceremonial; public |
| 公 | おおやけ ooyake | official; governmental; formal |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 正直 | しょうじき shoujiki | honest; frank; candid |
| 修正 | しゅうせい shuusei | amendment; correction; revision |
| 改正 | かいせい kaisei | revision; amendment; alteration |
| 正義 | せいぎ seigi | justice; right; righteousness |
| 不正 | ふせい fusei | injustice; unfairness; wrongdoing |
| 公式 | こうしき koushiki | official; formal |
| 形式 | けいしき keishiki | form (as opposed to substance) |
| 株式 | かぶしき kabushiki | share (in a company); stock |
See also: Chinese symbol for “formal”.
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.