Japanese symbol for “protagonist”
主人公
しゅじんこう
Romaji: shujinkou
protagonist; main character; hero; heroine
In Japanese, protagonist is 主人公, read しゅじんこう (shujinkou).
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 protagonist; main character; hero; heroine
- n head (of a household); proprietor (of a store)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “protagonist”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 仕手 | して shite | shite; protagonist; hero |
| 立役 | たてやく tateyaku | leading actor; protagonist |
| 後ジテ | のちじて nochijite | protagonist (in the second half of a play) |
| 前ジテ | まえじて maejite | protagonist (in the first half of a play) |
| 主公 | しゅこう shukou | main character; protagonist |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 主義 | しゅぎ shugi | doctrine; rule; principle |
| 主張 | しゅちょう shuchou | claim; insistence; assertion |
| 民主 | みんしゅ minshu | democracy; popular sovereignty |
| 主催 | しゅさい shusai | sponsorship (i.e. conducting under one's auspices); promotion; organizing |
| 主要 | しゅよう shuyou | chief; main; principal |
| 主人 | しゅじん shujin | head (of a household); proprietor (of a store); proprietress |
| 人間 | にんげん ningen | human being; human; person |
| 個人 | こじん kojin | individual; private person; personal |
| 公開 | こうかい koukai | opening to the public; making available to the public; exhibiting |
See also: Chinese symbol for “protagonist”.
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.