Japanese symbol for “masochism”
自虐
じぎゃく
Romaji: jigyaku
self-torture; masochism; inflicting damage to oneself
In Japanese, masochism is 自虐, read じぎゃく (jigyaku).
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 self-torture; masochism; inflicting damage to oneself
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “masochism”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| マゾヒズム | マゾヒズム mazohizumu | masochism |
| マゾ | マゾ mazo | masochism |
| 被虐性欲 | ひぎゃくせいよく higyakuseiyoku | masochism |
| 被虐性愛 | ひぎゃくせいあい higyakuseiai | (sexual) masochism |
| 被虐趣味 | ひぎゃくしゅみ higyakushumi | masochism; masochistic nature; masochistic tastes |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 自分 | じぶん jibun | myself; yourself; oneself |
| 自身 | じしん jishin | (one's) self; oneself; yourself |
| 自由 | じゆう jiyuu | freedom; liberty |
| 自然 | しぜん shizen | nature |
| 自己 | じこ jiko | self; oneself |
| 自動 | じどう jidou | automatic |
| 虐殺 | ぎゃくさつ gyakusatsu | slaughter; massacre |
| 虐待 | ぎゃくたい gyakutai | abuse; ill-treatment; maltreatment |
See also: Chinese symbol for “masochism”.
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.