Japanese symbol for “mercy”
慈悲
じひ
Romaji: jihi
mercy; compassion; clemency; pity
In Japanese, mercy is 慈悲, read じひ (jihi).
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
- adj-no, n mercy; compassion; clemency; pity; charity; benevolence
- n rufous hawk-cuckoo; northern hawk-cuckoo
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “mercy”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 情け | なさけ nasake | pity; sympathy; compassion |
| 容赦 | ようしゃ yousha | leniency; mercy; going easy (on someone) |
| 仏心 | ほとけごころ hotokegokoro | mercy; merciful heart; charity |
| 憐憫 | れんびん renbin | pity; compassion; mercy |
| 情け容赦 | なさけようしゃ nasakeyousha | mercy |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 慈善 | じぜん jizen | charity; benevolence; philanthropy |
| 慈愛 | じあい jiai | affection (esp. parental); love; fondness |
| 無慈悲 | むじひ mujihi | merciless; ruthless; pitiless |
| 慈しみ | いつくしみ itsukushimi | affection; love; fondness |
| 慈眼 | じげん jigen | merciful eye (of a Buddha or a bodhisattva watching humanity) |
| 悲劇 | ひげき higeki | tragedy; tragic drama; tragic play |
| 悲しみ | かなしみ kanashimi | sadness; sorrow; grief |
| 悲惨 | ひさん hisan | disastrous; tragic; miserable |
See also: Chinese symbol for “mercy”.
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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