Japanese symbol for “sadism”
嗜虐
しぎゃく
Romaji: shigyaku
sadism
In Japanese, sadism is 嗜虐, read しぎゃく (shigyaku).
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 sadism
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “sadism”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| サディズム | サディズム sadizumu | sadism |
| サド | サド sado | sadism |
| 加虐愛 | かぎゃくあい kagyakuai | sadism |
| 嗜虐性 | しぎゃくせい shigyakusei | sadism |
| 加虐性愛 | かぎゃくせいあい kagyakuseiai | sadism |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 嗜好 | しこう shikou | taste; liking; preference |
| 嗜む | たしなむ tashinamu | to have a taste for; to be fond of; to enjoy (in moderation) |
| 嗜み | たしなみ tashinami | taste (in goods, etc.) |
| 嗜癖 | しへき shiheki | addiction |
| 不嗜 | ぶたしなみ butashinami | poor preparation |
| 虐殺 | ぎゃくさつ gyakusatsu | slaughter; massacre |
| 虐待 | ぎゃくたい gyakutai | abuse; ill-treatment; maltreatment |
| 残虐 | ざんぎゃく zangyaku | cruel; brutal; savage |
See also: Chinese symbol for “sadism”.
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.