Japanese symbol for “lieutenant”
大尉
たいい
Romaji: taii
captain (Army, US Marine Corps, USAF); lieutenant (Navy); flight lieutenant (RAF, RAAF, RNZAF, etc.)
In Japanese, lieutenant is 大尉, read たいい (taii).
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 captain (Army, US Marine Corps, USAF); lieutenant (Navy); flight lieutenant (RAF, RAAF, RNZAF, etc.) (mil)
Written forms: 大尉. Readings: たいい、だいい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “lieutenant”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一尉 | いちい ichii | captain (JASDF, JGSDF); lieutenant (senior grade; JMSDF) |
| 空佐 | くうさ kuusa | (Self Defense Force's Air Force) colonel (defence); lieutenant; major |
| 空将 | くうしょう kuushou | (Self Defense Force's Air Force) general (defence); lieutenant; major |
| 空尉 | くうい kuui | (Self Defense Force's Air Force) captain (defence); lieutenant |
| 補佐役 | ほさやく hosayaku | assistant; adjunct; lieutenant |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 大丈夫 | だいじょうぶ daijoubu | safe; secure; sound |
| 大変 | たいへん taihen | very; greatly; terribly |
| 大学 | だいがく daigaku | university; college |
| 最大 | さいだい saidai | biggest; greatest; largest |
| 大会 | たいかい taikai | mass meeting; convention; rally |
| 大統領 | だいとうりょう daitouryou | president (of a country) |
| 少尉 | しょうい shoui | second lieutenant; sublieutenant; ensign |
| 中尉 | ちゅうい chuui | first lieutenant; lieutenant junior grade |
See also: Chinese symbol for “lieutenant”.
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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