King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “hostess”

Romaji: okami
proprietress (of a traditional Japanese inn, restaurant, or shop); landlady; hostess; mistress

In Japanese, hostess is , read (okami).

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 proprietress (of a traditional Japanese inn, restaurant, or shop); landlady; hostess; mistress; female innkeeper

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

woman, female
on: ジョ、ニョ、ニョウ
kun: おんな、め
3 strokes · JLPT 4
leader, commander, general
on: ショウ、ソウ
kun: まさ.に、はた、まさ、ひきい.る
10 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “hostess”

WordReadingMeaning
しゅじん shujinhost; hostess
ホステス hosutesuhostess (of a party, event, etc.)
なかい nakaiwaitress (in a ryokan or traditional restaurant); hostess
じょちゅう jochuuhostess (in a ryokan); waitress (in a traditional restaurant)
コンパニオン konpanionhostess (of a party, banquet, etc.)

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
じょせい joseiwoman; female
かのじょ kanojoshe; her
じょし joshiwoman; girl
おんなのこ onnanokogirl; daughter; baby girl
しょうじょ shoujogirl (usu. between 7 and 17); young lady
じょゆう joyuuactress; female actor
しょうらい shouraifuture; (future) prospects
しょうぐん shougungeneral

See also: Chinese symbol for “hostess”.

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.

Last posts

  1. Why Bokken Crack and Which Woods Handle Impact Best
  2. Best Bokken Bags and Cases for Martial Arts Training
  3. Choosing the Best Wooden Tanto for Realistic Knife Drills
  4. What Is a Suburito and Is It Worth Buying for Strength
  5. Buying a Wooden Wakizashi for Two-Sword Practice
  6. Buying Chanbara Swords for Sparring and Competition
  7. What Size Shinai Does a Child Need for Kendo Practice
  8. Best Polypropylene Bokken for Hard Contact Training
  9. Best Foam Swords for Kids Martial Arts and Safe Practice
  10. Are Cold Steel Training Swords Good for Practice