Japanese symbol for “idea”
発想
はっそう
Romaji: hassou
idea; conception
In Japanese, idea is 発想, read はっそう (hassou).
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, vs, vt idea; conception
- n way of thinking; approach
- n expression (music)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “idea”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 観念 | かんねん kannen | idea; notion; concept |
| 考え | かんがえ kangae | idea; notion; imagination |
| 思想 | しそう shisou | thought; idea; ideology |
| 構想 | こうそう kousou | plan; plot; idea |
| 意向 | いこう ikou | intention; inclination; mind |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 発売 | はつばい hatsubai | sale; offering for sale; putting on sale |
| 発表 | はっぴょう happyou | announcement; publication; presenting |
| 開発 | かいはつ kaihatsu | development; cultivation; application |
| 発生 | はっせい hassei | occurrence; incidence; outbreak |
| 発見 | はっけん hakken | discovery; detection; finding |
| 発言 | はつげん hatsugen | statement; remark; observation |
| 予想 | よそう yosou | expectation; anticipation; prediction |
| 想像 | そうぞう souzou | imagination; supposition; guess |
See also: Chinese symbol for “idea”.
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.