Japanese symbol for “penance”
苦行
くぎょう
Romaji: kugyou
penance; austerities; mortification; asceticism
In Japanese, penance is 苦行, read くぎょう (kugyou).
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, vi, vs penance; austerities; mortification; asceticism
- n, vi, vs difficult work; strenuous task
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “penance”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 難行 | なんぎょう nangyou | penance |
| 難行苦行 | なんぎょうくぎょう nangyoukugyou | penance; hardship |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 苦手 | にがて nigate | poor (at); weak (in); not very good (at) |
| 苦労 | くろう kurou | trouble; hardship; difficulty |
| 苦しみ | くるしみ kurushimi | pain; anguish; distress |
| 苦痛 | くつう kutsuu | pain; agony; suffering |
| 苦情 | くじょう kujou | complaint; troubles; objection |
| 苦しい | くるしい kurushii | painful; difficult; tough |
| 行動 | こうどう koudou | action; conduct; behaviour |
| 行う | おこなう okonau | to perform; to do; to conduct oneself |
See also: Chinese symbol for “penance”.
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.