Japanese symbol for “karma”
業
ごう
Romaji: gou
karma
In Japanese, karma is 業, read ごう (gou).
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 karma (Buddh)
- n result of one's karma; fate; destiny
- n uncontrollable temper
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “karma”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 命 | いのち inochi | fate; destiny; karma |
| 因果 | いんが inga | karma; fate |
| カルマ | カルマ karuma | karma |
| 天命 | てんめい tenmei | God's will; heaven's decree; mandate of Heaven |
| 定め | さだめ sadame | destiny; fate; karma |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 企業 | きぎょう kigyou | enterprise; business; company |
| 事業 | じぎょう jigyou | business; enterprise; venture |
| 営業 | えいぎょう eigyou | business; trade; operations |
| 作業 | さぎょう sagyou | work; operation; task |
| 卒業 | そつぎょう sotsugyou | graduation; completion (of a course) |
| 業界 | ぎょうかい gyoukai | business world; business circles; (the) industry |
See also: Chinese symbol for “karma”.
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.