Japanese symbol for “livelihood”
暮らし
くらし
Romaji: kurashi
(way of) life; lifestyle; living; life circumstances
In Japanese, livelihood is 暮らし, read くらし (kurashi).
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, n-suf (way of) life; lifestyle; living; life circumstances; livelihood; day-to-day life
Written forms: 暮らし、暮し. Readings: くらし、ぐらし.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “livelihood”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 生計 | せいけい seikei | livelihood; living |
| 生活 | せいかつ seikatsu | livelihood; (one's) living |
| 産業 | さんぎょう sangyou | livelihood; occupation |
| 勝手 | かって katte | financial circumstances; living; livelihood |
| 飯 | めし meshi | one's living; livelihood |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 暮れ | くれ kure | sunset; sundown; nightfall |
| 暮らす | くらす kurasu | to live (on, by, etc.); to lead a life; to get along |
| 夕暮れ | ゆうぐれ yuugure | evening; dusk; twilight |
| 暮れる | くれる kureru | to get dark; to grow dark |
| 歳暮 | せいぼ seibo | year-end gift |
See also: Chinese symbol for “livelihood”.
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.