Japanese symbol for “hierarchy”
階層
かいそう
Romaji: kaisou
class; level; stratum; layer
In Japanese, hierarchy is 階層, read かいそう (kaisou).
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 class; level; stratum; layer; hierarchy
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “hierarchy”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 序列 | じょれつ joretsu | rank; ranking order; hierarchy |
| 縦 | たて tate | vertical (relationship); hierarchy |
| ヒエラルキー | ヒエラルキー hierarukii | hierarchy |
| ハイアラーキー | ハイアラーキー haiaraakii | hierarchy |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 段階 | だんかい dankai | stage; step; phase |
| 階段 | かいだん kaidan | stairs; stairway; staircase |
| 階級 | かいきゅう kaikyuu | (social) class |
| 音階 | おんかい onkai | scale |
| 階下 | かいか kaika | lower floor; downstairs |
| 一層 | いっそう issou | even more; still more; all the more |
| 高層 | こうそう kousou | high-rise (building); multistory; multistoried |
| 上層 | じょうそう jousou | upper stratum (classes, stories, storeys); upper layer; layer above |
See also: Chinese symbol for “hierarchy”.
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.