King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “kindness”

Romaji: koui
kindness; favor; favour; friendliness

In Japanese, kindness is , read (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

  1. n kindness; favor; favour; friendliness
  2. n goodwill; affection; liking (for someone); love

Kanji and stroke order

fond, pleasing, like something
on: コウ
kun: この.む、す.く、よ.い、い.い
6 strokes · JLPT 3
idea, mind, heart
on: イ
13 strokes · JLPT 3

Other Japanese words for “kindness”

WordReadingMeaning
おもいやり omoiyariconsideration; thoughtfulness; sympathy
にんじょう ninjouhumanity; empathy; kindness
こころざし kokorozashikindness; goodwill; kind offer
おん onkindness; benevolence
こうい kouikindness (shown by others); courtesy; favor

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
だいすき daisukiliking very much; loving (something or someone); adoring
このみ konomiliking; taste; fancy
かっこう kakkoushape; form; figure
ゆうこう yuukoufriendship
こうちょう kouchoufavourable; favorable; promising
いみ imimeaning; significance; sense
ちゅうい chuuiattention; notice; heed
いしき ishikiconsciousness

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.