Japanese symbol for “layoff”

解雇

かいこ

Romaji: kaiko

dismissal (of an employee); discharge; firing; layoff

In Japanese, layoff is 解雇, read かいこ (kaiko).

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, vs, vt dismissal (of an employee); discharge; firing; layoff

Kanji and stroke order

解

unravel, notes, key

on: カイ、ゲ
kun: と.く、と.かす、と.ける、ほど.く

13 strokes · JLPT 2

雇

employ, hire

on: コ
kun: やと.う

12 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “layoff”

Word	Reading	Meaning
レイオフ	レイオフ reiofu	(temporary) layoff
一時解雇	いちじかいこ ichijikaiko	(temporary) layoff

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
理解	りかい rikai	understanding; comprehension; appreciation
解決	かいけつ kaiketsu	settlement; solution; resolution
解説	かいせつ kaisetsu	explanation; commentary; exposition
解散	かいさん kaisan	breaking up (a meeting, gathering, etc.); dispersal (e.g. of a crowd)
解放	かいほう kaihou	release; unleashing; liberation
解除	かいじょ kaijo	termination (of a contract); cancellation; rescinding
雇用	こよう koyou	employment; hire
雇う	やとう yatou	to employ; to hire; to take on

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.