Japanese symbol for “overseer”
監督
かんとく
Romaji: kantoku
supervision; control; superintendence; direction
In Japanese, overseer is 監督, read かんとく (kantoku).
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 supervision; control; superintendence; direction
- n director; superintendent; supervisor; coach; foreman; manager
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “overseer”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 総理 | そうり souri | leading; overseeing; leader |
| 主事 | しゅじ shuji | manager; director; superintendent |
| 目付 | めつけ metsuke | censor; overseer; inspector (Edo period) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 監視 | かんし kanshi | monitoring; watching; observation |
| 監禁 | かんきん kankin | confinement; imprisonment; incarceration |
| 監査 | かんさ kansa | inspection; audit; judgement |
| 監修 | かんしゅう kanshuu | (editorial) supervision; general editorship |
| 監獄 | かんごく kangoku | prison |
| 総督 | そうとく soutoku | governor-general; governor; viceroy |
| 提督 | ていとく teitoku | admiral; commodore |
| 督促 | とくそく tokusoku | urge; demand; importunity |
See also: Chinese symbol for “overseer”.
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.