King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “overview”

Romaji: gaiyou
outline; summary; overview; synopsis

In Japanese, overview is , read (gaiyou).

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

  1. n outline; summary; overview; synopsis; abstract; abridgment

Kanji and stroke order

outline, condition, approximation
on: ガイ
kun: おおむ.ね
14 strokes · JLPT 1
need, main point, essence
on: ヨウ
kun: い.る、かなめ
9 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “overview”

WordReadingMeaning
がいせつ gaisetsuoverview; outline; rough summary
ぜんたいぞう zentaizoucomplete picture; panorama; what it all adds up to

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
がいねん gainengeneral idea; concept; notion
いちがいに ichigainiunconditionally; as a rule
がいきょう gaikyououtlook; general situation
がいさん gaisanapproximation; rough estimate; ballpark figure
がいりゃく gairyakuoutline; summary; gist
ひつよう hitsuyounecessary; needed; essential
じゅうよう juuyouimportant; essential; significant
ようきゅう youkyuudemand; firm request; requisition

See also: Chinese symbol for “overview”.

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.