Japanese symbol for “obligation”
義務
ぎむ
Romaji: gimu
duty; obligation; responsibility
In Japanese, obligation is 義務, read ぎむ (gimu).
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 duty; obligation; responsibility
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “obligation”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 任 | にん nin | obligation; duty; charge |
| 恩 | おん on | favour; favor; obligation |
| 義務付け | ぎむづけ gimuzuke | obligation |
| 恩義 | おんぎ ongi | obligation; favour; favor |
| 責務 | せきむ sekimu | duty; obligation |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 主義 | しゅぎ shugi | doctrine; rule; principle |
| 正義 | せいぎ seigi | justice; right; righteousness |
| 定義 | ていぎ teigi | definition |
| 意義 | いぎ igi | meaning; significance |
| 講義 | こうぎ kougi | lecture |
| 事務所 | じむしょ jimusho | office |
| 事務 | じむ jimu | office work; clerical work; administration |
| 勤務 | きんむ kinmu | service; duty; work |
See also: Chinese symbol for “obligation”.
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.