Japanese symbol for “radical”
急激
きゅうげき
Romaji: kyuugeki
sudden; abrupt; rapid; sharp
In Japanese, radical is 急激, read きゅうげき (kyuugeki).
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 sudden; abrupt; rapid; sharp; drastic; radical
Written forms: 急激、急劇. Readings: きゅうげき.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “radical”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 過激 | かげき kageki | extreme (measure, idea, etc.); radical; violent (language) |
| 部首 | ぶしゅ bushu | radical (of a kanji character) |
| 先鋭 | せんえい sen'ei | radical; acute; sharp |
| ラジカル | ラジカル rajikaru | radical |
| アングラ | アングラ angura | underground (film, theater, etc.); unconventional; alternative |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 緊急 | きんきゅう kinkyuu | urgency; emergency |
| 急速 | きゅうそく kyuusoku | rapid (e.g. progress) |
| 特急 | とっきゅう tokkyuu | limited express (train for which a limited-express ticket is required) |
| 急遽 | きゅうきょ kyuukyo | hurriedly; in a hurry; hastily |
| 急増 | きゅうぞう kyuuzou | rapid increase; sharp rise; proliferation |
| 刺激 | しげき shigeki | stimulus; stimulation; irritation (esp. of the body, e.g. skin, eyes) |
| 激しい | はげしい hageshii | violent; furious; tempestuous |
| 感激 | かんげき kangeki | deep emotion; impression; inspiration |
See also: Chinese symbol for “radical”.
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.