Japanese symbol for “innovation”
革新
かくしん
Romaji: kakushin
reform; innovation
In Japanese, innovation is 革新, read かくしん (kakushin).
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, vs, vt reform; innovation
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “innovation”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 変革 | へんかく henkaku | change; transformation; reform |
| イノベーション | イノベーション inobeeshon | innovation |
| 新機軸 | しんきじく shinkijiku | innovation; new departure; milestone |
| イノベ | イノベ inobe | innovation |
| 一生面 | いちせいめん ichiseimen | innovation; new vista; new field |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 革命 | かくめい kakumei | revolution |
| 改革 | かいかく kaikaku | reform; reformation; reorganization |
| 変革 | へんかく henkaku | change; transformation; reform |
| 革靴 | かわぐつ kawagutsu | leather shoes; leather boots |
| 皮革 | ひかく hikaku | leather; hide |
| 新しい | あたらしい atarashii | new; novel; fresh |
| 新聞 | しんぶん shinbun | newspaper |
| 新た | あらた arata | new; fresh; novel |
See also: Chinese symbol for “innovation”.
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.