Japanese symbol for “risk”
危険
きけん
Romaji: kiken
danger; peril; hazard
In Japanese, risk is 危険, read きけん (kiken).
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 danger; peril; hazard
- adj-na, n risk
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “risk”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 恐れ | おそれ osore | risk; danger; likelihood |
| リスク | リスク risuku | risk |
| 賭ける | かける kakeru | to wager; to bet; to risk |
| 冒険 | ぼうけん bouken | venture which is unlikely to succeed; risky attempt; danger |
| 冒す | おかす okasu | to brave; to risk; to face |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 危機 | きき kiki | crisis; critical situation; emergency |
| 危惧 | きぐ kigu | apprehension; misgivings; uneasiness |
| 危ない | あぶない abunai | dangerous; risky; hazardous |
| 危うく | あやうく ayauku | barely; narrowly |
| 危うい | あやうい ayaui | dangerous; in danger; facing imminent danger |
| 保険 | ほけん hoken | insurance |
| 冒険 | ぼうけん bouken | adventure; venture |
| 険悪 | けんあく ken'aku | dangerous; perilous; threatening |
See also: Chinese symbol for “risk”.
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.