Japanese symbol for “pioneer”
先駆け
さきがけ
Romaji: sakigake
pioneer; leader; taking the initiative; forerunner
In Japanese, pioneer is 先駆け, read さきがけ (sakigake).
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 pioneer; leader; taking the initiative; forerunner; harbinger; herald
- n, vi, vs leading an attack; charging ahead of others (towards the enemy)
Written forms: 先駆け、魁、先駈け. Readings: さきがけ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “pioneer”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 父 | ちち chichi | father (e.g. of a discipline); pioneer (e.g. of field of research); founder |
| 元祖 | がんそ ganso | originator; pioneer; inventor |
| 先駆 | せんく senku | forerunner; precursor; pioneer |
| パイオニア | パイオニア paionia | pioneer |
| 先人 | せんじん senjin | predecessor; pioneer; ancestor |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 先生 | せんせい sensei | teacher; instructor; master |
| 優先 | ゆうせん yuusen | preference; priority; precedence |
| 先輩 | せんぱい senpai | senior (at school, work, etc.); superior; elder |
| 先日 | せんじつ senjitsu | the other day; a few days ago |
| 先週 | せんしゅう senshuu | last week; the week before |
| 先月 | せんげつ sengetsu | last month |
| 駆逐 | くちく kuchiku | expulsion; driving out; driving away |
| 駆使 | くし kushi | using freely; making full use of; having a good command of |
See also: Chinese symbol for “pioneer”.
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.