Japanese symbol for “inception”
緒
しょ
Romaji: sho
beginning; inception
In Japanese, inception is 緒, read しょ (sho).
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 beginning; inception
Written forms: 緒. Readings: しょ、ちょ.
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一緒 | いっしょ issho | (doing) together |
| 情緒 | じょうちょ joucho | emotion; feeling |
| 由緒 | ゆいしょ yuisho | history; pedigree; lineage |
| 内緒 | ないしょ naisho | secrecy; confidentiality; privacy |
| 端緒 | たんしょ tansho | start; beginning; first step |
| 緒戦 | しょせん shosen | beginning of hostilities; beginning of competition |
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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