Japanese symbol for “greeting”

In Japanese, greeting is 挨拶, read あいさつ (aisatsu).

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, vi, vs greeting; greetings; salutation; salute; polite set phrase used when meeting or parting from someone
2. n, vi, vs speech (congratulatory or appreciative); address
3. n, vi, vs reply; response
4. n, vi, vs courtesy visit (to offer condolences, say congratulations, pay respect, introduce oneself, etc.)
5. n, vi, vs revenge; retaliation
6. exp a fine thing to say

Kanji and stroke order

↻ Replay stroke order

Other Japanese words for “greeting”

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

See also: Chinese symbol for “greeting”.

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.