Japanese symbol for “instinct”
本能
ほんのう
Romaji: honnou
instinct
In Japanese, instinct is 本能, read ほんのう (honnou).
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
- adj-no, n instinct
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “instinct”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 直感 | ちょっかん chokkan | intuition; instinct; hunch |
| 人性 | じんせい jinsei | human nature; instinct; humanity |
| インスティンクト | インスティンクト insutinkuto | instinct |
| 欲動 | よくどう yokudou | drive; urge; instinct |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 日本 | にほん nihon | Japan |
| 基本 | きほん kihon | basics; fundamentals; basis |
| 本当 | ほんとう hontou | truth; reality; actuality |
| 本人 | ほんにん honnin | the person in question; the person themselves; said person |
| 本来 | ほんらい honrai | originally; primarily |
| 本気 | ほんき honki | seriousness; earnestness; truth |
| 可能 | かのう kanou | possible; potential; practicable |
| 機能 | きのう kinou | function; facility; faculty |
See also: Chinese symbol for “instinct”.
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.