Japanese symbol for “pivotal”
枢要
すうよう
Romaji: suuyou
(most) important; principal; pivotal; key
In Japanese, pivotal is 枢要, read すうよう (suuyou).
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-na, adj-no, n (most) important; principal; pivotal; key; cardinal
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “pivotal”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| エポックメイキング | エポックメイキング epokkumeikingu | epoch-making; pivotal |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 中枢 | ちゅうすう chuusuu | centre; center; pivot |
| 枢軸 | すうじく suujiku | axle; pivot |
| 枢機卿 | すうききょう suukikyou | cardinal (Catholic Church) |
| 枢密院 | すうみついん suumitsuin | Privy Council (abolished in 1947) |
| 中枢神経 | ちゅうすうしんけい chuusuushinkei | central nerves |
| 必要 | ひつよう hitsuyou | necessary; needed; essential |
| 重要 | じゅうよう juuyou | important; essential; significant |
| 要求 | ようきゅう youkyuu | demand; firm request; requisition |
See also: Chinese symbol for “pivotal”.
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.