Japanese symbol for “servant”
僕
しもべ
Romaji: shimobe
servant; manservant; menial
In Japanese, servant is 僕, read しもべ (shimobe).
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 servant; manservant; menial
Written forms: 僕、下部、隷. Readings: しもべ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “servant”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 奴 | やっこ yakko | servant (esp. a samurai's attendant) |
| 奴隷 | どれい dorei | slave; servant |
| 使用人 | しようにん shiyounin | employee; servant |
| 従者 | じゅうしゃ juusha | attendant; valet; servant |
| 下回り | したまわり shitamawari | subordinate work; menial service; subordinate |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 僕ら | ぼくら bokura | we; us |
| 公僕 | こうぼく kouboku | public servant |
| 下僕 | げぼく geboku | manservant |
| 従僕 | じゅうぼく juuboku | manservant; male attendant; valet |
| 僕たち | ぼくたち bokutachi | we |
| 家僕 | かぼく kaboku | houseboy; manservant |
See also: Chinese symbol for “servant”.
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.