King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “lust”

Romaji: yokubou
desire; appetite; lust

In Japanese, lust is , read (yokubou).

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

  1. n desire; appetite; lust

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

longing, covetousness, greed
on: ヨク
kun: ほっ.する、ほ.しい
11 strokes · JLPT 2
ambition, full moon, hope
on: ボウ、モウ
kun: のぞ.む、もち
11 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “lust”

WordReadingMeaning
せいよく seiyokusexual desire; sex drive; lust
いろ irolove; lust; sensuality
こうしょく koushokulasciviousness; lechery; salaciousness
にくよく nikuyokulust; lusts of the flesh; animal passions
しょく shokulust; (sexual) desire

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
ほしい hoshiiwanting (to have); desiring; wishing for
いよく iyokuwill; desire; eagerness
よっきゅう yokkyuudesire; want; will
しょくよく shokuyokuappetite (for food)
せいよく seiyokusexual desire; sex drive; lust
きぼう kibouhope; wish; aspiration
ぜつぼう zetsuboudespair; hopelessness
ようぼう youboudemand for; request

See also: Chinese symbol for “lust”.

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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