Japanese symbol for “overall”
総
そう
Romaji: sou
whole; total; gross; entire
In Japanese, overall is 総, read そう (sou).
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
- pref whole; total; gross; entire; overall; general (election, manager, etc.)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “overall”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| サロペット | サロペット saropetto | overall; overalls |
| 総合的 | そうごうてき sougouteki | comprehensive; composite; all-round |
| 全体的 | ぜんたいてき zentaiteki | overall; general; as a whole |
| 全体として | ぜんたいとして zentaitoshite | overall |
| 総体的 | そうたいてき soutaiteki | overall; general |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 総合 | そうごう sougou | synthesis; combination; integration |
| 総理 | そうり souri | prime minister (as the head of a cabinet government); premier |
| 総裁 | そうさい sousai | president (of an organization); director general; governor (of a central bank) |
| 総会 | そうかい soukai | general meeting |
| 総数 | そうすう sousuu | total (number); count |
| 総務 | そうむ soumu | general affairs; general business; manager |
See also: Chinese symbol for “overall”.
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.