Japanese symbol for “handsome”
立派
りっぱ
Romaji: rippa
splendid; fine; handsome; elegant
In Japanese, handsome is 立派, read りっぱ (rippa).
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 splendid; fine; handsome; elegant; imposing; prominent
- adj-na praiseworthy; creditable; worthy
- adj-na legal; legitimate; lawful
- adj-na undeniable (e.g. crime); indisputable; solid
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “handsome”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ハンサム | ハンサム hansamu | handsome |
| 端正 | たんせい tansei | handsome; shapely; clean-cut (features) |
| 端麗 | たんれい tanrei | fine-looking; beautiful; handsome |
| 眉目秀麗 | びもくしゅうれい bimokushuurei | handsome |
| 彬蔚 | ひんうつ hin'utsu | erudite and refined; handsome |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 立場 | たちば tachiba | position; situation |
| 独立 | どくりつ dokuritsu | independence; self-reliance; supporting oneself |
| 成立 | せいりつ seiritsu | formation; establishment; materialization |
| 国立 | こくりつ kokuritsu | national; founded and run by the central government |
| 対立 | たいりつ tairitsu | confrontation; opposition; antagonism |
| 設立 | せつりつ setsuritsu | establishment; founding |
| 派遣 | はけん haken | dispatch; despatch; deployment |
| 派手 | はで hade | showy; loud; flashy |
See also: Chinese symbol for “handsome”.
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.