Japanese symbol for “seriousness”
本気
ほんき
Romaji: honki
seriousness; earnestness; truth; sanctity
In Japanese, seriousness is 本気, read ほんき (honki).
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, adj-no, n seriousness; earnestness; truth; sanctity
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “seriousness”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 本腰 | ほんごし hongoshi | strenuous effort; earnestness; seriousness |
| 真 | しん shin | seriousness |
| 本気度 | ほんきど honkido | (degree of) seriousness; level of commitment |
| 重大性 | じゅうだいせい juudaisei | importance; seriousness |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 日本 | にほん nihon | Japan |
| 基本 | きほん kihon | basics; fundamentals; basis |
| 本当 | ほんとう hontou | truth; reality; actuality |
| 本人 | ほんにん honnin | the person in question; the person themselves; said person |
| 本来 | ほんらい honrai | originally; primarily |
| 気持ち | きもち kimochi | feeling; sensation; mood |
| 人気 | にんき ninki | popularity; public favor |
| 気分 | きぶん kibun | feeling; mood |
See also: Chinese symbol for “seriousness”.
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.