Japanese symbol for “malfeasance”

背任

はいにん

Romaji: hainin

breach of trust; malfeasance; malpractice; misappropriation

In Japanese, malfeasance is 背任, read はいにん (hainin).

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, vi, vs breach of trust; malfeasance; malpractice; misappropriation

Kanji and stroke order

背

stature, height, back

on: ハイ
kun: せ、せい、そむ.く、そむ.ける

9 strokes · JLPT 2

任

responsibility, duty, term

on: ニン
kun: まか.せる、まか.す

6 strokes · JLPT 2

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
背景	はいけい haikei	background; scenery; backdrop
背中	せなか senaka	back (of the body)
背後	はいご haigo	back; rear
背骨	せぼね sebone	spine; backbone; spinal column
背広	せびろ sebiro	business suit
背負う	せおう seou	to carry on one's back
責任	せきにん sekinin	duty; responsibility (incl. supervision of staff)
任務	にんむ ninmu	duty; function; office

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.