King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “sophisticated”

Romaji: koumyou
ingenious; skillful; clever; deft

In Japanese, sophisticated is , read (koumyou).

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

  1. adj-na, n ingenious; skillful; clever; deft; sophisticated

Kanji and stroke order

adroit, skilled, ingenuity
on: コウ
kun: たく.み、たく.む、うま.い
5 strokes · JLPT 1
exquisite, strange, queer
on: ミョウ、ビョウ
kun: たえ
7 strokes · JLPT 1

Other Japanese words for “sophisticated”

WordReadingMeaning
いき ikichic; smart; stylish
じょうひん jouhinelegant; refined; polished
こうど koudohigh-degree; high-grade; advanced
しゃだつ shadatsusophisticated; refined; witty
こった kottaelaborate; exquisite; ornate

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
たくみ takumiskillful; adroit; dexterous
せいこう seikouelaborate; delicate; exquisite
ぎこう gikoutechnique; finesse
こうしゃ koushacleverness; skill; tact
こうせつ kousetsuskill; workmanship; dexterity
びみょう bimyousubtle; delicate; fine
きみょう kimyoustrange; odd; peculiar
ぜつみょう zetsumyouexquisite; superb; perfect

See also: Chinese symbol for “sophisticated”.

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.

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