Japanese symbol for “guidelines”
要綱
ようこう
Romaji: youkou
main principle; gist; general plan; guidelines
In Japanese, guidelines is 要綱, read ようこう (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
- n main principle; gist; general plan; guidelines; outline
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “guidelines”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 心得 | こころえ kokoroe | essentials; know-how; guidelines |
| 指導要領 | しどうようりょう shidouyouryou | government-approved curriculums; (educational) guidelines |
| 指導方針 | しどうほうしん shidouhoushin | guidelines; guiding principle; dictates |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 必要 | ひつよう hitsuyou | necessary; needed; essential |
| 重要 | じゅうよう juuyou | important; essential; significant |
| 要求 | ようきゅう youkyuu | demand; firm request; requisition |
| 要素 | ようそ youso | element; component; factor |
| 需要 | じゅよう juyou | demand; need |
| 要請 | ようせい yousei | appeal; call for something; request |
| 横綱 | よこづな yokozuna | yokozuna (highest rank in sumo); grand champion |
| 綱渡り | つなわたり tsunawatari | tightrope 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.