King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “probable”

Romaji: noukou
rich (flavor, color, etc.); strong (e.g. odor); heavy; thick (soup, makeup, etc.)

In Japanese, probable is , read (noukou).

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. adj-na rich (flavor, color, etc.); strong (e.g. odor); heavy; thick (soup, makeup, etc.); dense
  2. adj-na probable; (very) likely; strong (suspicion, sense, etc.); pronounced
  3. adj-na passionate; sensuous; hot

Kanji and stroke order

concentrated, thick, dark
on: ノウ
kun: こ.い
16 strokes · JLPT 2
thick, heavy, rich
on: コウ
kun: あつ.い、あか
9 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “probable”

WordReadingMeaning
がいぜんてき gaizentekiprobable; likely
ありそう arisouprobable; likely
たしからしい tashikarashiiprobable; likely
プロバブル purobaburuprobable
ありうる ariurupossible; conceivable; likely

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
のうしゅく noushukuconcentration (e.g. of a solution); enrichment; condensation
こい koideep (colour); dark
のうど noudoconcentration; density
のうむ noumuheavy fog; dense fog; thick fog
のうこん noukondark blue
こうせい kouseiwelfare; public welfare; social welfare
あつい atsuithick; deep; heavy
あつみ atsumithickness

See also: Chinese symbol for “probable”.

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.

Last posts

  1. Using a Tsuba on Your Bokken for Partner Practice
  2. How Much Should You Spend on a Wooden Practice Sword
  3. How Long Should a Bokken Be for Your Height
  4. Red Oak vs White Oak for Bokken Which Wood Wins
  5. Best Bokken for Beginners: Choosing Your First Training Sword
  6. Best Escrima Sticks for Students Choosing Your First Pair
  7. Essential Accessories for Your First Pair of Escrima Sticks
  8. Best Escrima Sticks for Your First Seminar
  9. Best Canes for Cane-Fu and Hapkido Training
  10. Which Rattan Sticks Have the Most Nodes for Durability