Japanese symbol for “provocation”
挑発
ちょうはつ
Romaji: chouhatsu
provocation; stirring up; arousal; excitement
In Japanese, provocation is 挑発, read ちょうはつ (chouhatsu).
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, vs, vt provocation; stirring up; arousal; excitement; stimulation
Written forms: 挑発、挑撥. Readings: ちょうはつ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “provocation”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 刺激 | しげき shigeki | impetus; impulse; stimulus |
| 触発 | しょくはつ shokuhatsu | touching off (something); triggering; sparking |
| 惹起 | じゃっき jakki | bringing about; cause; provocation |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 挑戦 | ちょうせん chousen | challenge; defiance; dare |
| 挑む | いどむ idomu | to challenge to (a fight, game, etc.); to throw down the gauntlet; to contend for |
| 挑発的 | ちょうはつてき chouhatsuteki | provocative; incendiary; inflammatory |
| 初挑戦 | はつちょうせん hatsuchousen | first challenge; first try |
| 挑戦者 | ちょうせんしゃ chousensha | challenger |
| 発売 | はつばい hatsubai | sale; offering for sale; putting on sale |
| 発表 | はっぴょう happyou | announcement; publication; presenting |
| 開発 | かいはつ kaihatsu | development; cultivation; application |
See also: Chinese symbol for “provocation”.
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.