Japanese symbol for “honourable”
潔い
いさぎよい
Romaji: isagiyoi
gracious (defeat, apology, etc.); graceful; honourable (e.g. death); noble
In Japanese, honourable is 潔い, read いさぎよい (isagiyoi).
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-i gracious (defeat, apology, etc.); graceful; honourable (e.g. death); noble; gallant; brave
- adj-i upright; righteous; honest; pure (heart); innocent
- adj-i unspoiled (scenery, etc.); pure; clean
Written forms: 潔い、いさぎ良い、潔よい、潔良い. Readings: いさぎよい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “honourable”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 公明正大 | こうめいせいだい koumeiseidai | fair; just and upright; open and honest |
| 栄誉ある | えいよある eiyoaru | honourable; honorable; prestigious |
| 栄えある | はえある haearu | glorious; honourable; splendid |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 清潔 | せいけつ seiketsu | clean; hygienic; sanitary |
| 潔白 | けっぱく keppaku | innocence; guiltlessness; purity |
| 不潔 | ふけつ fuketsu | unclean; dirty; unsanitary |
| 簡潔 | かんけつ kanketsu | concise; brief; succinct |
| 潔癖 | けっぺき keppeki | fastidiousness; love of cleanliness |
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.