Japanese symbol for “illegitimate”
妾腹
しょうふく
Romaji: shoufuku
illegitimate (e.g. born to a mistress)
In Japanese, illegitimate is 妾腹, read しょうふく (shoufuku).
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 illegitimate (e.g. born to a mistress)
Written forms: 妾腹. Readings: しょうふく、めかけばら.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “illegitimate”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 妾出 | しょうしゅつ shoushutsu | illegitimate (e.g. born to a mistress) |
| 不適正 | ふてきせい futekisei | improper; inappropriate; illegitimate |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 愛妾 | あいしょう aishou | beloved concubine; favourite concubine (e.g. of the shogun) |
| 妻妾 | さいしょう saishou | one's wife and mistress(es) |
| 男妾 | だんしょう danshou | male paramour |
| 妾出 | しょうしゅつ shoushutsu | illegitimate (e.g. born to a mistress) |
| 妾宅 | しょうたく shoutaku | house in which a mistress is kept |
| 空腹 | くうふく kuufuku | empty stomach; hunger |
| 満腹 | まんぷく manpuku | full stomach; filling one's stomach; eating one's fill |
| 切腹 | せっぷく seppuku | seppuku; harakiri; ritual suicide by disembowelment |
See also: Chinese symbol for “illegitimate”.
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.