King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “sternly”

Romaji: kitto
surely; undoubtedly; almost certainly; most likely (e.g. 90 percent)

In Japanese, sternly is , read (kitto).

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. adv surely; undoubtedly; almost certainly; most likely (e.g. 90 percent)
  2. adv sternly; severely
  3. adv having no slack; rigid; stiff; tight
  4. adv suddenly; abruptly; instantly

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

towering mountains
on: キツ
kun: そばだ.つ
6 strokes
degrees, occurrence, time
on: ド、ト、タク
kun: たび、-た.い
9 strokes · JLPT 3

Other Japanese words for “sternly”

WordReadingMeaning
ビシッと bishitto(reject) sternly; flatly
びしり bishiri(rejecting) sternly; flatly
ピシッと pishittofirmly; sharply; sternly

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
きつりつ kitsuritsustanding tall; towering; soaring
きつぜん kitsuzentowering; lofty
きっとなる kittonaruto look stern
ていど teidodegree; amount; grade
こんど kondothis time; now
せいど seidosystem; institution; organization
ねんど nendofiscal year (usu. April 1 to March 31 in Japan); financial year
たいど taidoattitude; manner; behaviour

See also: Chinese symbol for “sternly”.

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.

Last posts

  1. Buying Chanbara Swords for Sparring and Competition
  2. What Size Shinai Does a Child Need for Kendo Practice
  3. Best Polypropylene Bokken for Hard Contact Training
  4. Best Foam Swords for Kids Martial Arts and Safe Practice
  5. Are Cold Steel Training Swords Good for Practice
  6. Shinai Maintenance and Essential Tools for Bamboo Care
  7. Best Shinai for Kendo Beginners Choosing Your First Sword
  8. Choosing the Best Bokken for Kendo Kata
  9. Using a Tsuba on Your Bokken for Partner Practice
  10. How Much Should You Spend on a Wooden Practice Sword