Japanese symbol for “starting”
発足
ほっそく
Romaji: hossoku
starting; inauguration; launch; founding
In Japanese, starting is 発足, read ほっそく (hossoku).
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 starting; inauguration; launch; founding; establishment; start-up
Written forms: 発足. Readings: ほっそく、はっそく.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “starting”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 始動 | しどう shidou | starting (a machine, engine, etc.) |
| 創刊 | そうかん soukan | foundation (of a newspaper, magazine, etc.); starting; launching |
| 起動 | きどう kidou | startup; booting up; activation |
| 掛かり | かかり kakari | starting (e.g. of an engine); engaging (e.g. of a lock) |
| 発車 | はっしゃ hassha | departure (of a train, car, etc.); starting; leaving |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 発売 | はつばい hatsubai | sale; offering for sale; putting on sale |
| 発表 | はっぴょう happyou | announcement; publication; presenting |
| 開発 | かいはつ kaihatsu | development; cultivation; application |
| 発生 | はっせい hassei | occurrence; incidence; outbreak |
| 発見 | はっけん hakken | discovery; detection; finding |
| 発言 | はつげん hatsugen | statement; remark; observation |
| 満足 | まんぞく manzoku | satisfaction; contentment; gratification |
| 不足 | ふそく fusoku | insufficiency; deficiency; shortage |
See also: Chinese symbol for “starting”.
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.