Japanese symbol for “leader”
長
ちょう
Romaji: chou
head; chief; leader; elder
In Japanese, leader is 長, read ちょう (chou).
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 head; chief; leader; elder
- n merit; strong point
- n superiority
- n major (music)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “leader”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 首脳 | しゅのう shunou | head; leader; top |
| 代表 | だいひょう daihyou | leader |
| 頭取 | とうどり toudori | leader; head; chief |
| 将 | しょう shou | commander; general; leader |
| 隊長 | たいちょう taichou | captain; commander; commanding officer |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 成長 | せいちょう seichou | growth; development; growing up |
| 社長 | しゃちょう shachou | company president; manager; director |
| 会長 | かいちょう kaichou | president (of a society); chairman |
| 長い | ながい nagai | long (distance, length) |
| 身長 | しんちょう shinchou | height (of a person); stature |
| 市長 | しちょう shichou | mayor |
See also: Chinese symbol for “leader”.
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.