Japanese symbol for “leadership”
指導
しどう
Romaji: shidou
guidance; leadership; instruction; direction
In Japanese, leadership is 指導, read しどう (shidou).
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 guidance; leadership; instruction; direction; coaching
- n shido (minor penalty in judo) (MA)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “leadership”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 主導 | しゅどう shudou | leadership; initiative; spearhead |
| 幹部 | かんぶ kanbu | management; (executive) staff; leaders |
| 先導 | せんどう sendou | guidance; leadership; leading the way |
| 統率 | とうそつ tousotsu | command; lead; generalship |
| リーダーシップ | リーダーシップ riidaashippu | leadership |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 指定 | してい shitei | designation; specification; assignment |
| 指摘 | してき shiteki | pointing out; identification |
| 指示 | しじ shiji | indication; denotation; designation |
| 指揮 | しき shiki | command; direction; supervision |
| 指輪 | ゆびわ yubiwa | (finger) ring |
| 導入 | どうにゅう dounyuu | introduction; bringing in; installation |
| 誘導 | ゆうどう yuudou | guidance; leading; induction |
| 半導体 | はんどうたい handoutai | semiconductor |
See also: Chinese symbol for “leadership”.
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.