Japanese symbol for “gracious”
潔い
いさぎよい
Romaji: isagiyoi
gracious (defeat, apology, etc.); graceful; honourable (e.g. death); noble
In Japanese, gracious is 潔い, read いさぎよい (isagiyoi).
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 gracious (defeat, apology, etc.); graceful; honourable (e.g. death); noble; gallant; brave
- adj-i upright; righteous; honest; pure (heart); innocent
- adj-i unspoiled (scenery, etc.); pure; clean
Written forms: 潔い、いさぎ良い、潔よい、潔良い. Readings: いさぎよい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “gracious”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 尋常 | じんじょう jinjou | fair (e.g. fight); gracious; honorable |
| 恐れ多い | おそれおおい osoreooi | awesome; awe-inspiring; august |
| 優渥 | ゆうあく yuuaku | gracious; benevolent; benign |
| 恵み深い | めぐみふかい megumifukai | gracious; benign |
| 艶然 | えんぜん enzen | sweetly smiling; like the smiling of a beauty; gracious |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 清潔 | せいけつ seiketsu | clean; hygienic; sanitary |
| 潔白 | けっぱく keppaku | innocence; guiltlessness; purity |
| 不潔 | ふけつ fuketsu | unclean; dirty; unsanitary |
| 簡潔 | かんけつ kanketsu | concise; brief; succinct |
| 潔癖 | けっぺき keppeki | fastidiousness; love of cleanliness |
See also: Chinese symbol for “gracious”.
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.