Japanese symbol for “nurture”
育成
いくせい
Romaji: ikusei
rearing; training; nurture; cultivation
In Japanese, nurture is 育成, read いくせい (ikusei).
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 rearing; training; nurture; cultivation; promotion
Written forms: 育成、育生. Readings: いくせい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “nurture”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 培養 | ばいよう baiyou | cultivation (e.g. of a skill); nurture (of democracy, national power, etc.); growth |
| 育てる | そだてる sodateru | to promote the growth of; to nurture; to foster |
| 養い | やしない yashinai | bringing up; nurture; rearing |
| 育む | はぐくむ hagukumu | to cultivate; to foster; to nurture |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 教育 | きょういく kyouiku | education; schooling; training |
| 体育 | たいいく taiiku | physical education; PE; gym (class) |
| 飼育 | しいく shiiku | breeding; raising; rearing |
| 育児 | いくじ ikuji | childcare; child-rearing; nursing |
| 育ち | そだち sodachi | growth; breeding |
| 成功 | せいこう seikou | success; achievement |
| 成長 | せいちょう seichou | growth; development; growing up |
| 完成 | かんせい kansei | completion; perfection; accomplishment |
See also: Chinese symbol for “nurture”.
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.