Japanese symbol for “standstill”
停止
ていし
Romaji: teishi
stoppage; coming to a stop; halt; standstill
In Japanese, standstill is 停止, read ていし (teishi).
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, vi, vs stoppage; coming to a stop; halt; standstill
- n, vi, vs ceasing (movement, activity, etc.); suspension (of operations); interruption (e.g. of electricity supply); cutting off
- n, vs, vt suspension (of payment, a licence, etc.); (temporary) prohibition; ban
- n, vs, vt suspension of music, dance, etc. as a sign of mourning for a prominent person
Written forms: 停止. Readings: ていし、ちょうじ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “standstill”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 停滞 | ていたい teitai | stagnation; tie-up; standstill |
| 足踏み | あしぶみ ashibumi | standstill; stalemate |
| 麻痺 | まひ mahi | standstill; state of paralysis; inability to take action |
| 手詰まり | てづまり tezumari | deadlock; stalemate; standstill |
| 滞留 | たいりゅう tairyuu | stagnation; standstill; accumulation |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 停電 | ていでん teiden | power outage; power failure; power cut |
| 調停 | ちょうてい choutei | mediation; arbitration; intervention |
| 停滞 | ていたい teitai | stagnation; tie-up; standstill |
| 停車 | ていしゃ teisha | stopping (of a train, car, etc.); stop |
| 停戦 | ていせん teisen | armistice; ceasefire |
| 禁止 | きんし kinshi | prohibition; inhibition; ban |
| 中止 | ちゅうし chuushi | interruption; discontinuance; suspension |
| 止まる | とまる tomaru | to stop (moving); to come to a stop |
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.