King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “gross”

Romaji: sou
whole; total; gross; entire

In Japanese, gross is , read (sou).

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. pref whole; total; gross; entire; overall; general (election, manager, etc.)

Kanji and stroke order

general, whole, all
on: ソウ
kun: す.べて、すべ.て、ふさ
14 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “gross”

WordReadingMeaning
キモイ kimoigross; disgusting
グロス gurosugross (i.e. 12 dozen)
のべ nobetotal (preceding counter, unit, etc.); aggregate; gross
きしょい kishoigross; disgusting; sickening
きもちわるい kimochiwaruiunpleasant; revolting; repulsive

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
そうごう sougousynthesis; combination; integration
そうり souriprime minister (as the head of a cabinet government); premier
そうさい sousaipresident (of an organization); director general; governor (of a central bank)
そうかい soukaigeneral meeting
そうすう sousuutotal (number); count
そうむ soumugeneral affairs; general business; manager

See also: Chinese symbol for “gross”.

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.