Japanese symbol for “riotous”

放埓

ほうらつ

Romaji: houratsu

licentious; profligate; dissipated; riotous

In Japanese, riotous is 放埓, read ほうらつ (houratsu).

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, n licentious; profligate; dissipated; riotous; wild

Written forms: 放埓、放埒、放らつ. Readings: ほうらつ.

Kanji and stroke order

放

set free, release, fire

on: ホウ
kun: はな.す、-っぱな.し、はな.つ、はな.れる

8 strokes · JLPT 2

埓

pale, picket fence, limits

on: レツ、ラツ、ラチ
kun: らち.があく、かこ.い

10 strokes

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
放送	ほうそう housou	broadcasting; broadcast; program
解放	かいほう kaihou	release; unleashing; liberation
開放	かいほう kaihou	opening (a door, window, etc.); leaving open
放題	ほうだい houdai	(doing) as one pleases; to one's heart's content; letting (something) go unchecked
放棄	ほうき houki	abandonment; renouncement; renunciation
追放	ついほう tsuihou	exile; banishment; eviction

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.