King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “guidelines”

Romaji: youkou
main principle; gist; general plan; guidelines

In Japanese, guidelines is , read (youkou).

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 main principle; gist; general plan; guidelines; outline

Kanji and stroke order

need, main point, essence
on: ヨウ
kun: い.る、かなめ
9 strokes · JLPT 2
hawser, class (genus), rope
on: コウ
kun: つな
14 strokes · JLPT 1

Other Japanese words for “guidelines”

WordReadingMeaning
こころえ kokoroeessentials; know-how; guidelines
しどうようりょう shidouyouryougovernment-approved curriculums; (educational) guidelines
しどうほうしん shidouhoushinguidelines; guiding principle; dictates

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
ひつよう hitsuyounecessary; needed; essential
じゅうよう juuyouimportant; essential; significant
ようきゅう youkyuudemand; firm request; requisition
ようそ yousoelement; component; factor
じゅよう juyoudemand; need
ようせい youseiappeal; call for something; request
よこづな yokozunayokozuna (highest rank in sumo); grand champion
つなわたり tsunawataritightrope walking; high-wire act; funambulism

See also: Chinese symbol for “guidelines”.

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.

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