Japanese symbol for “purposely”
敢えて
あえて
Romaji: aete
purposely (of something needless, unexpected or seemingly counterproductive, etc.); daringly (doing something); deliberately; intentionally
In Japanese, purposely is 敢えて, read あえて (aete).
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
- adv purposely (of something needless, unexpected or seemingly counterproductive, etc.); daringly (doing something); deliberately; intentionally
- adv not necessarily; not particularly; not especially
- adv definitely not
Written forms: 敢えて、敢て. Readings: あえて.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “purposely”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 故意に | こいに koini | deliberately; intentionally; on purpose |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 勇敢 | ゆうかん yuukan | brave; courageous; gallant |
| 果敢 | かかん kakan | resolute; determined; bold |
| 敢行 | かんこう kankou | decisive action; going through with; daring to do |
| 敢闘 | かんとう kantou | fighting bravely |
| 敢然 | かんぜん kanzen | boldly; bravely; resolutely |
See also: Chinese symbol for “purposely”.
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.