Japanese symbol for “reform”
改革
かいかく
Romaji: kaikaku
reform; reformation; reorganization
In Japanese, reform is 改革, read かいかく (kaikaku).
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 reform; reformation; reorganization
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “reform”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 革新 | かくしん kakushin | reform; innovation |
| 改良 | かいりょう kairyou | improvement; reform |
| 刷新 | さっしん sasshin | reform; renovation |
| 変革 | へんかく henkaku | change; transformation; reform |
| 変える | かえる kaeru | to reform; to revise; to amend |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 改善 | かいぜん kaizen | betterment; improvement |
| 改正 | かいせい kaisei | revision; amendment; alteration |
| 改造 | かいぞう kaizou | remodeling; remodelling; reconstruction |
| 改良 | かいりょう kairyou | improvement; reform |
| 改めて | あらためて aratamete | another time; again; over again |
| 革命 | かくめい kakumei | revolution |
| 革新 | かくしん kakushin | reform; innovation |
| 変革 | へんかく henkaku | change; transformation; reform |
See also: Chinese symbol for “reform”.
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.