King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “format”

Romaji: keishiki
form (as opposed to substance)

In Japanese, format is , read (keishiki).

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

  1. n form (as opposed to substance)
  2. n format; form; style; manner
  3. n formality; form
  4. n mode; form (phil)
  5. n form (bilinear, quadratic, etc.) (math)

Kanji and stroke order

shape, form, style
on: ケイ、ギョウ
kun: かた、-がた、かたち、なり
7 strokes · JLPT 2
style, ceremony, rite
on: シキ
6 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “format”

WordReadingMeaning
しょしき shoshikiprescribed form (of writing); format
フォーマット foomattoformat; form
かきかた kakikataformat (e.g. of a report)
ていさい teisai(proper) format (e.g. of an essay); form; style
すすめかた susumekataformat; procedure; way of proceeding

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
にんぎょう ningyoudoll; puppet; marionette
けいせい keiseiformation; molding; making (up)
へんけい henkeitransformation; variation; metamorphosis
けいたい keitaiform; shape; figure
やまがた yamagataYamagata (city, prefecture)
こうしき koushikiofficial; formal
せいしき seishikiformal; official; regular
かぶしき kabushikishare (in a company); stock

See also: Chinese symbol for “format”.

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.