Japanese symbol for “salutation”
挨拶
あいさつ
Romaji: aisatsu
greeting; greetings; salutation; salute
In Japanese, salutation is 挨拶, read あいさつ (aisatsu).
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, vi, vs greeting; greetings; salutation; salute; polite set phrase used when meeting or parting from someone
- n, vi, vs speech (congratulatory or appreciative); address
- n, vi, vs reply; response
- n, vi, vs courtesy visit (to offer condolences, say congratulations, pay respect, introduce oneself, etc.)
- n, vi, vs revenge; retaliation
- exp a fine thing to say
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “salutation”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 会釈 | えしゃく eshaku | slight bow (as a greeting or sign of gratitude); nod; salutation |
| 挨拶文 | あいさつぶん aisatsubun | greeting phrase (in letter, etc.); salutation |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 挨拶回り | あいさつまわり aisatsumawari | courtesy call; going around to say hello (or goodbye) to everybody; making the rounds |
| 挨拶状 | あいさつじょう aisatsujou | greeting card |
| ご挨拶 | ごあいさつ goaisatsu | greeting |
| 一挨一拶 | いちあいいっさつ ichiaiissatsu | dialoging (with another Zen practitioner to ascertain their level of enlightenment) |
| 年頭挨拶 | ねんとうあいさつ nentouaisatsu | New Year's greetings |
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.