Japanese symbol for “moral”
教訓
きょうくん
Romaji: kyoukun
lesson; precept; teachings; moral
In Japanese, moral is 教訓, read きょうくん (kyoukun).
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, vs, vt lesson; precept; teachings; moral
Kanji and stroke order
instruction, Japanese character reading, explanation
on: クン、キン
kun: おし.える、よ.む、くん.ずる
kun: おし.える、よ.む、くん.ずる
10 strokes · JLPT 2
Other Japanese words for “moral”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 無形 | むけい mukei | formless; immaterial; intangible |
| 寓意 | ぐうい guui | hidden meaning; symbolism; moral (of a story) |
| 道徳的 | どうとくてき doutokuteki | ethical; moral |
| 道義的 | どうぎてき dougiteki | moral |
| 道徳上 | どうとくじょう doutokujou | moral (issue, responsibility, etc.); ethical |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 教育 | きょういく kyouiku | education; schooling; training |
| 教え | おしえ oshie | teaching; instruction; teachings |
| 教授 | きょうじゅ kyouju | professor |
| 教師 | きょうし kyoushi | teacher; instructor |
| 宗教 | しゅうきょう shuukyou | religion; religious affiliation; belief |
| 教室 | きょうしつ kyoushitsu | classroom; lecture room |
| 訓練 | くんれん kunren | training; drill; practice |
| 特訓 | とっくん tokkun | special training; intensive training; crash course |
See also: Chinese symbol for “moral”.
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.