Japanese symbol for “indicative”

指事

しじ

Romaji: shiji

logogram; indicative; character depicting an abstract idea

In Japanese, indicative is 指事, read しじ (shiji).

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 logogram; indicative; character depicting an abstract idea

Kanji and stroke order

指

finger, point to, indicate

on: シ
kun: ゆび、さ.す、-さ.し

9 strokes · JLPT 2

事

matter, thing, fact

on: ジ、ズ
kun: こと、つか.う、つか.える

8 strokes · JLPT 3

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
指定	してい shitei	designation; specification; assignment
指導	しどう shidou	guidance; leadership; instruction
指摘	してき shiteki	pointing out; identification
指示	しじ shiji	indication; denotation; designation
指揮	しき shiki	command; direction; supervision
指輪	ゆびわ yubiwa	(finger) ring
仕事	しごと shigoto	work; job; labor
事件	じけん jiken	event; affair; incident

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.