Japanese symbol for “selfishness”
勝手
かって
Romaji: katte
one's own convenience; one's way; selfishness
In Japanese, selfishness is 勝手, read かって (katte).
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 one's own convenience; one's way; selfishness
- n surroundings; environment; way of doing things
- n convenience; ease of use
- n financial circumstances; living; livelihood
- n kitchen
- n right hand (in archery); hand that pulls the bowstring
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “selfishness”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 自分勝手 | じぶんかって jibunkatte | selfishness; egotism; egoism |
| 私 | わたくし watakushi | selfishness; partiality |
| 私心 | ししん shishin | selfishness; selfish motive |
| 打算 | ださん dasan | calculation; self-interest; selfishness |
| 我欲 | がよく gayoku | selfishness |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 勝利 | しょうり shouri | victory; triumph; win |
| 優勝 | ゆうしょう yuushou | overall victory; championship; winning the title |
| 勝ち | かち kachi | win; victory |
| 勝負 | しょうぶ shoubu | victory or defeat |
| 決勝 | けっしょう kesshou | decision of a contest |
| 相手 | あいて aite | companion; partner; company |
| 選手 | せんしゅ senshu | player (of a sport); athlete; team member |
| 手段 | しゅだん shudan | means; way; method |
See also: Chinese symbol for “selfishness”.
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.