Japanese symbol for “retire”
辞める
やめる
Romaji: yameru
to resign; to retire; to quit; to leave (one's job, etc.)
In Japanese, retire is 辞める, read やめる (yameru).
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
- v1, vt to resign; to retire; to quit; to leave (one's job, etc.)
Written forms: 辞める、罷める、退める. Readings: やめる.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “retire”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 降りる | おりる oriru | to step down; to retire; to give up |
| 休む | やすむ yasumu | to go to bed; to (lie down to) sleep; to turn in |
| 下がる | さがる sagaru | to move back; to step back; to withdraw |
| 引き上げる | ひきあげる hikiageru | to withdraw; to leave; to pull out |
| 引く | ひく hiku | to resign; to retire; to quit |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 辞任 | じにん jinin | resignation (from a position) |
| 辞職 | じしょく jishoku | resignation |
| 辞書 | じしょ jisho | dictionary; lexicon |
| 辞典 | じてん jiten | dictionary; lexicon |
| 辞退 | じたい jitai | declining; refusal; nonacceptance |
See also: Chinese symbol for “retire”.
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.