Japanese symbol for “retribution”
罰
ばち
Romaji: bachi
(divine) punishment; curse; retribution
In Japanese, retribution is 罰, read ばち (bachi).
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 (divine) punishment; curse; retribution
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “retribution”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 報復 | ほうふく houfuku | retaliation; revenge; reprisal |
| 因果応報 | いんがおうほう ingaouhou | retribution; retributive justice; karma |
| 応報 | おうほう ouhou | retribution |
| 報 | ほう hou | reward; retribution |
| 報い | むくい mukui | punishment; retribution |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 罰金 | ばっきん bakkin | fine; penalty |
| 処罰 | しょばつ shobatsu | punishment; penalty |
| 罰則 | ばっそく bassoku | punishment; penalty |
| 罰する | ばっする bassuru | to punish; to penalize; to penalise |
| 厳罰 | げんばつ genbatsu | severe punishment; rigorous measures |
| 体罰 | たいばつ taibatsu | corporal punishment |
See also: Chinese symbol for “retribution”.
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.