Japanese symbol for “straightening”

矯正

きょうせい

Romaji: kyousei

correction (of a fault, defect, flaw, etc.); remedy; rectification; redress

In Japanese, straightening is 矯正, read きょうせい (kyousei).

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, vs, vt correction (of a fault, defect, flaw, etc.); remedy; rectification; redress; reform; straightening (of teeth)

Written forms: 矯正、きょう正. Readings: きょうせい.

Kanji and stroke order

矯

rectify, straighten, correct

on: キョウ
kun: た.める

17 strokes · JLPT 1

正

correct, justice, righteous

on: セイ、ショウ
kun: ただ.しい、ただ.す、まさ、まさ.に

5 strokes · JLPT 3

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
奇矯	ききょう kikyou	eccentric
矯風	きょうふう kyoufuu	reform of morals
矯める	ためる tameru	to straighten; to bend into shape
矯め直す	ためなおす tamenaosu	to set up again; to correct; to cure
矯激	きょうげき kyougeki	radical; extreme; eccentric
正直	しょうじき shoujiki	honest; frank; candid
修正	しゅうせい shuusei	amendment; correction; revision
改正	かいせい kaisei	revision; amendment; alteration

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.