Japanese symbol for “independence”
独立
どくりつ
Romaji: dokuritsu
independence; self-reliance; supporting oneself; being on one's own
In Japanese, independence is 独立, read どくりつ (dokuritsu).
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, vi, vs independence; self-reliance; supporting oneself; being on one's own
- n, vi, vs independence (e.g. of a nation); freedom
- n, vi, vs separation; isolation
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “independence”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 自主 | じしゅ jishu | independence; autonomy; self-reliance |
| 自立 | じりつ jiritsu | independence; self-reliance |
| 単独 | たんどく tandoku | independence; singleness; singularity |
| 分立 | ぶんりつ bunritsu | segregation; separation; independence |
| 不偏不党 | ふへんふとう fuhenfutou | impartiality; neutrality; independence |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 独特 | どくとく dokutoku | peculiarity; uniqueness; characteristic |
| 独自 | どくじ dokuji | original; unique; distinctive |
| 独占 | どくせん dokusen | monopoly; monopolization; exclusivity |
| 孤独 | こどく kodoku | solitude; loneliness; isolation |
| 独身 | どくしん dokushin | unmarried; single |
| 立場 | たちば tachiba | position; situation |
| 成立 | せいりつ seiritsu | formation; establishment; materialization |
| 国立 | こくりつ kokuritsu | national; founded and run by the central government |
See also: Chinese symbol for “independence”.
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.