Japanese symbol for “scapegoat”
身代わり
みがわり
Romaji: migawari
substitution (for someone else); substitute; stand-in; scapegoat
In Japanese, scapegoat is 身代わり, read みがわり (migawari).
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 substitution (for someone else); substitute; stand-in; scapegoat; sacrifice
Written forms: 身代わり、身代り、身替わり、身替り. Readings: みがわり.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “scapegoat”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| スケープゴート | スケープゴート sukeepugooto | scapegoat |
| 生贄 | いけにえ ikenie | victim; scapegoat |
| 贖罪の山羊 | しょくざいのやぎ shokuzainoyagi | sacrificial goat; scapegoat |
| 槍玉 | やりだま yaridama | victim; scapegoat; someone singled out (for punishment, etc.) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 自身 | じしん jishin | (one's) self; oneself; yourself |
| 出身 | しゅっしん shusshin | one's origin (e.g. city, country, parentage, school) |
| 中身 | なかみ nakami | contents; interior; filling |
| 身長 | しんちょう shinchou | height (of a person); stature |
| 全身 | ぜんしん zenshin | whole (body); full-length (e.g. portrait) |
| 変身 | へんしん henshin | metamorphosis; disguise; transformation |
| 時代 | じだい jidai | period; epoch; era |
| 代表 | だいひょう daihyou | representation; representative; delegate |
See also: Chinese symbol for “scapegoat”.
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.