Japanese symbol for “instinctive”
本能的
ほんのうてき
Romaji: honnouteki
instinctive; instinctual
In Japanese, instinctive is 本能的, read ほんのうてき (honnouteki).
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-na instinctive; instinctual
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “instinctive”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 生理的 | せいりてき seiriteki | visceral; instinctive; in one's guts |
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 |
| 目的 | もくてき mokuteki | purpose; goal; aim |
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.