Japanese symbol for “necessity”
必要
ひつよう
Romaji: hitsuyou
necessary; needed; essential; indispensable
In Japanese, necessity is 必要, read ひつよう (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
- adj-na necessary; needed; essential; indispensable
- n necessity; need; requirement
Written forms: 必要、必用. Readings: ひつよう.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “necessity”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 事 | こと koto | necessity; need |
| 必要性 | ひつようせい hitsuyousei | necessity; need |
| 必然 | ひつぜん hitsuzen | inevitability; necessity |
| 米 | こめ kome | staple (product, etc.); necessity |
| 要 | よう you | necessity; need; requirement |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 必ず | かならず kanarazu | always; without exception; necessarily |
| 必死 | ひっし hisshi | frantic; frenetic; desperate |
| 必ずしも | かならずしも kanarazushimo | (not) always; (not) necessarily; (not) entirely |
| 必須 | ひっす hissu | indispensable; essential; requisite |
| 必然 | ひつぜん hitsuzen | inevitable; necessary; certain |
| 重要 | じゅうよう juuyou | important; essential; significant |
| 要求 | ようきゅう youkyuu | demand; firm request; requisition |
| 要素 | ようそ youso | element; component; factor |
See also: Chinese symbol for “necessity”.
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.