King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “idolize”

Romaji: shitau
to yearn for; to long for; to pine for; to miss

In Japanese, idolize is , read (shitau).

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. v5u, vt to yearn for; to long for; to pine for; to miss; to love dearly; to adore
  2. v5u, vt to follow (someone)
  3. v5u, vt to idolize (for virtue, learning, status, etc.)

Kanji and stroke order

pining, yearn for, love dearly
on: ボ
kun: した.う
14 strokes · JLPT 1

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
しぼ shiboyearning; longing for; deep affection
ぼじょう bojoulonging; yearning
れんぼ renbolove; attachment; tender emotions
よこれんぼ yokorenboillicit love
ついぼ tsuibocherishing the memory of; yearning for

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.

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