Japanese symbol for “kindness”
好意
こうい
Romaji: koui
kindness; favor; favour; friendliness
In Japanese, kindness is 好意, read こうい (koui).
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 kindness; favor; favour; friendliness
- n goodwill; affection; liking (for someone); love
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “kindness”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 思いやり | おもいやり omoiyari | consideration; thoughtfulness; sympathy |
| 人情 | にんじょう ninjou | humanity; empathy; kindness |
| 志 | こころざし kokorozashi | kindness; goodwill; kind offer |
| 恩 | おん on | kindness; benevolence |
| 厚意 | こうい koui | kindness (shown by others); courtesy; favor |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 大好き | だいすき daisuki | liking very much; loving (something or someone); adoring |
| 好み | このみ konomi | liking; taste; fancy |
| 格好 | かっこう kakkou | shape; form; figure |
| 友好 | ゆうこう yuukou | friendship |
| 好調 | こうちょう kouchou | favourable; favorable; promising |
| 意味 | いみ imi | meaning; significance; sense |
| 注意 | ちゅうい chuui | attention; notice; heed |
| 意識 | いしき ishiki | consciousness |
See also: Chinese symbol for “kindness”.
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.
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