Japanese symbol for “successor”
後任
こうにん
Romaji: kounin
successor
In Japanese, successor is 後任, read こうにん (kounin).
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
- adj-no, n successor
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “successor”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 後 | あと ato | descendant; successor; heir |
| 後者 | こうしゃ kousha | successor; descendant |
| 代わり | かわり kawari | stand-in; proxy; alternate |
| 後継 | こうけい koukei | successor |
| 後釜 | あとがま atogama | successor; replacement |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 最後 | さいご saigo | end; conclusion |
| 今後 | こんご kongo | from now on; hereafter |
| 午後 | ごご gogo | afternoon; p.m. |
| 後半 | こうはん kouhan | second half; latter half |
| 後ろ | うしろ ushiro | back; behind; rear |
| 直後 | ちょくご chokugo | immediately following |
| 責任 | せきにん sekinin | duty; responsibility (incl. supervision of staff) |
| 任務 | にんむ ninmu | duty; function; office |
See also: Chinese symbol for “successor”.
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.