Japanese symbol for “orphan”
孤児
こじ
Romaji: koji
orphan
In Japanese, orphan is 孤児, read こじ (koji).
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-no, n orphan
- n person without friends
Written forms: 孤児、孤、みなし子. Readings: こじ、みなしご.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “orphan”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 遺児 | いじ iji | orphan; child left by the deceased |
| 遺子 | いし ishi | orphan |
| 孤 | こ ko | orphan |
| 遺孤 | いこ iko | orphan |
| 分断前部 | ぶんだんぜんぶ bundanzenbu | orphan (one or more lines separated from the rest of the following passage by page or paragraph break) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 孤独 | こどく kodoku | solitude; loneliness; isolation |
| 孤立 | こりつ koritsu | isolation; being alone; being friendless |
| 孤島 | ことう kotou | solitary island; isolated island |
| 孤高 | ここう kokou | aloof; proudly independent; standing apart |
| 孤軍 | こぐん kogun | lone (isolated) force; forlorn force |
| 児童 | じどう jidou | children; juvenile |
| 幼児 | ようじ youji | young child; toddler |
| 育児 | いくじ ikuji | childcare; child-rearing; nursing |
See also: Chinese symbol for “orphan”.
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.