Japanese symbol for “keynote”
基調
きちょう
Romaji: kichou
basic tone; underlying tone; basic theme; basis
In Japanese, keynote is 基調, read きちょう (kichou).
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 basic tone; underlying tone; basic theme; basis; keynote
- n trend
- n keynote (music)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “keynote”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 主調 | しゅちょう shuchou | keynote |
| キーノート | キーノート kiinooto | keynote |
| 主音 | しゅおん shuon | tonic; keynote |
| 主調音 | しゅちょうおん shuchouon | keynote |
| 本調子 | ほんちょうし honchoushi | keynote (esp. shamisen); proper key |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 基本 | きほん kihon | basics; fundamentals; basis |
| 基準 | きじゅん kijun | standard; criterion; norm |
| 基地 | きち kichi | base (military, expedition, etc.) |
| 基礎 | きそ kiso | foundation; basis |
| 基盤 | きばん kiban | base; basis; foundation |
| 基づく | もとづく motozuku | to be based (on); to be founded (on); to be grounded (on) |
| 調査 | ちょうさ chousa | investigation; examination; inquiry |
| 調べ | しらべ shirabe | investigation; inspection; examination |
See also: Chinese symbol for “keynote”.
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.