King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “necessary”

Romaji: hitsuyou
necessary; needed; essential; indispensable

In Japanese, necessary is , read (hitsuyou).

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

  1. adj-na necessary; needed; essential; indispensable
  2. n necessity; need; requirement

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

invariably, certain, inevitable
on: ヒツ
kun: かなら.ず
5 strokes · JLPT 2
need, main point, essence
on: ヨウ
kun: い.る、かなめ
9 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “necessary”

WordReadingMeaning
ひっす hissuindispensable; essential; requisite
ひつじゅ hitsujunecessary
ひつぜん hitsuzeninevitable; necessary; certain
しょよう shoyourequired; needed; necessary
マスト masutonecessary; indispensable; must-have

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
かならず kanarazualways; without exception; necessarily
ひっし hisshifrantic; frenetic; desperate
かならずしも kanarazushimo(not) always; (not) necessarily; (not) entirely
ひっす hissuindispensable; essential; requisite
ひつぜん hitsuzeninevitable; necessary; certain
じゅうよう juuyouimportant; essential; significant
ようきゅう youkyuudemand; firm request; requisition
ようそ yousoelement; component; factor

See also: Chinese symbol for “necessary”.

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.

Last posts

  1. Choosing a Training Sword for Stage and Historical Combat
  2. Best Wooden Swords for Kids Starting Martial Arts Forms
  3. Are Wooden Kung Fu Swords Balanced Like Real Steel Blades
  4. Buying a Wooden Jian for Beginners
  5. Choosing a Bokken with Scabbard for Iaido Beginners
  6. Is a Plastic Saya Worth Adding to a Bokken for Drawing?
  7. Choosing the Best Aikido Bokken for Daily Training
  8. Choosing the Best Heavy Bokken for Suburi Training
  9. Are Bamboo Practice Swords Safer Than Wooden Ones
  10. Choosing the Best Wooden Sword Stand for Your Collection