Japanese symbol for “rite”
儀式
ぎしき
Romaji: gishiki
ceremony; rite; ritual; service
In Japanese, rite is 儀式, read ぎしき (gishiki).
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 ceremony; rite; ritual; service
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “rite”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 儀典 | ぎてん giten | ceremony; rite; ritual |
| 儀礼 | ぎれい girei | (religious) observance; ritual; rite |
| 式 | しき shiki | ceremony; rite; ritual |
| 法式 | ほうしき houshiki | rule; rite |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 礼儀 | れいぎ reigi | manners; courtesy; etiquette |
| 葬儀 | そうぎ sougi | funeral; funeral service |
| 儀礼 | ぎれい girei | courtesy; etiquette; formality |
| 行儀 | ぎょうぎ gyougi | manners; behavior; behaviour |
| 余儀なく | よぎなく yoginaku | unavoidably; necessarily; inevitably |
| 公式 | こうしき koushiki | official; formal |
| 形式 | けいしき keishiki | form (as opposed to substance) |
| 正式 | せいしき seishiki | formal; official; regular |
See also: Chinese symbol for “rite”.
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.