Japanese symbol for “live”
生きる
いきる
Romaji: ikiru
to live; to exist
In Japanese, live is 生きる, read いきる (ikiru).
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
- v1, vi to live; to exist
- v1, vi to make a living; to subsist
- v1, vi to be in effect; to be in use; to function
- v1, vi to come to life; to be enlivened
- v1, vi to be safe (in baseball, go, etc.)
Written forms: 生きる、活きる. Readings: いきる.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “live”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 有る | ある aru | to be; to exist; to live |
| 住む | すむ sumu | to live (of humans); to reside; to inhabit |
| 暮らす | くらす kurasu | to live (on, by, etc.); to lead a life; to get along |
| ライブ | ライブ raibu | live (broadcasting, music, etc.) |
| 過ごす | すごす sugosu | to spend (time); to pass; to lead (a life) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 生活 | せいかつ seikatsu | life; living |
| 先生 | せんせい sensei | teacher; instructor; master |
| 人生 | じんせい jinsei | (one's) life |
| 学生 | がくせい gakusei | student (esp. a university student) |
| 発生 | はっせい hassei | occurrence; incidence; outbreak |
| 誕生 | たんじょう tanjou | birth (of a person); nativity |
See also: Chinese symbol for “live”.
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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