Japanese symbol for “lifetime”
一生
いっしょう
Romaji: isshou
whole life; a lifetime; all through life
In Japanese, lifetime is 一生, read いっしょう (isshou).
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
- adj-no, adv, n whole life; a lifetime; all through life
- adj-no (the only, the greatest, etc.) of one's life
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “lifetime”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 生涯 | しょうがい shougai | life; lifetime; career |
| 寿命 | じゅみょう jumyou | lifespan; life; lifetime |
| 命 | いのち inochi | lifetime; lifespan |
| 終身 | しゅうしん shuushin | lifelong; lifetime; for life |
| 世 | よ yo | life; lifetime |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一緒 | いっしょ issho | (doing) together |
| 一番 | いちばん ichiban | number one; first; first place |
| 一つ | ひとつ hitotsu | one |
| 一般 | いっぱん ippan | general; universal |
| 一部 | いちぶ ichibu | one part; one portion; one section |
| 一方 | いっぽう ippou | one (esp. of two); the other; one way |
| 生活 | せいかつ seikatsu | life; living |
| 先生 | せんせい sensei | teacher; instructor; master |
See also: Chinese symbol for “lifetime”.
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.