Japanese symbol for “selflessness”
無我
むが
Romaji: muga
selflessness; self-effacement; self-renunciation
In Japanese, selflessness is 無我, read むが (muga).
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 selflessness; self-effacement; self-renunciation
- n anatta; anatman; doctrine that states that humans do not possess souls (Buddh)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “selflessness”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 滅私 | めっし messhi | selflessness; being unselfish |
| 没我 | ぼつが botsuga | selflessness |
| 忘己利他 | もうこりた moukorita | selflessness; selfless devotion to the service of others |
| 無私無欲 | むしむよく mushimuyoku | selflessness; unselfishness |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 無料 | むりょう muryou | free (of charge); gratuitous |
| 無理 | むり muri | unreasonable; unnatural; unjustifiable |
| 無事 | ぶじ buji | safety; security; peace |
| 無駄 | むだ muda | futility; waste; uselessness |
| 無線 | むせん musen | radio (communication) |
| 無理やり | むりやり muriyari | forcibly; by force; against one's will |
| 我々 | われわれ wareware | we |
| 我慢 | がまん gaman | endurance; patience; perseverance |
See also: Chinese symbol for “selflessness”.
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.