Japanese symbol for “greedy”
貪欲
どんよく
Romaji: don'yoku
greedy; avaricious; covetous
In Japanese, greedy is 貪欲, read どんよく (don'yoku).
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, n greedy; avaricious; covetous
Written forms: 貪欲、貪慾. Readings: どんよく、とんよく、たんよく.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “greedy”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 強欲 | ごうよく gouyoku | greedy; avaricious; rapacious |
| 汚い | きたない kitanai | stingy; greedy |
| 阿漕 | あこぎ akogi | greedy; ruthless; cruel |
| 欲深 | よくふか yokufuka | greedy; avaricious; covetous |
| がめつい | がめつい gametsui | greedy; grasping; tightfisted |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 貪る | むさぼる musaboru | to covet; to crave; to be greedy for |
| 貪食 | どんしょく donshoku | voracity; ravenousness |
| 貪り食う | むさぼりくう musaborikuu | to eat greedily; to devour; to wolf down |
| 貪汚 | たんお tan'o | greed; corruption |
| 欲しい | ほしい hoshii | wanting (to have); desiring; wishing for |
| 意欲 | いよく iyoku | will; desire; eagerness |
| 欲求 | よっきゅう yokkyuu | desire; want; will |
| 欲望 | よくぼう yokubou | desire; appetite; lust |
See also: Chinese symbol for “greedy”.
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.