Japanese symbol for “modest”
謙虚
けんきょ
Romaji: kenkyo
modest; humble
In Japanese, modest is 謙虚, read けんきょ (kenkyo).
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-na, n modest; humble
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “modest”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 簡素 | かんそ kanso | simple; plain; modest |
| 細やか | ささやか sasayaka | small; little; tiny |
| 控えめ | ひかえめ hikaeme | moderate; reserved; modest |
| 地味 | じみ jimi | reserved (behaviour, attitude, etc.); modest; quiet |
| 質素 | しっそ shisso | modest; frugal; reserved |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 謙遜 | けんそん kenson | modesty; humility; being humble |
| 謙譲 | けんじょう kenjou | modesty; humility |
| 恭謙 | きょうけん kyouken | modesty; humility |
| 謙称 | けんしょう kenshou | self-deprecating term; humble way of referring to oneself, one's abilities, one's possessions, etc. |
| 謙譲語 | けんじょうご kenjougo | humble language (e.g. itadaku) |
| 虚構 | きょこう kyokou | fiction; fabrication; concoction |
| 虚偽 | きょぎ kyogi | falsehood; untruth; lie |
| 虚無 | きょむ kyomu | nihility; nothingness |
See also: Chinese symbol for “modest”.
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.