Japanese symbol for “passive”
消極
しょうきょく
Romaji: shoukyoku
passive; negative; conservative
In Japanese, passive is 消極, read しょうきょく (shoukyoku).
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-f passive; negative; conservative
- n, vs, vt depolarization (elec)
- n cathode
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “passive”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 受身 | うけみ ukemi | the passive; passive voice |
| パッシブ | パッシブ passhibu | passive |
| 消極的 | しょうきょくてき shoukyokuteki | negative; passive; half-hearted |
| 受動 | じゅどう judou | passivity; (the) passive |
| 他動的 | たどうてき tadouteki | passive; lacking initiative; lacking autonomy |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 消費 | しょうひ shouhi | consumption; expenditure; spending |
| 解消 | かいしょう kaishou | cancellation; liquidation; resolution |
| 消滅 | しょうめつ shoumetsu | extinction; extinguishment; disappearance |
| 消防 | しょうぼう shoubou | fire fighting |
| 消化 | しょうか shouka | digestion (of food) |
| 取り消し | とりけし torikeshi | cancellation; withdrawal; abolition |
| 極端 | きょくたん kyokutan | extreme; extremity |
| 究極 | きゅうきょく kyuukyoku | ultimate; final; last |
See also: Chinese symbol for “passive”.
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.