Japanese symbol for “superior”
優秀
ゆうしゅう
Romaji: yuushuu
superior; excellent; brilliant; outstanding
In Japanese, superior is 優秀, read ゆうしゅう (yuushuu).
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-na, n superior; excellent; brilliant; outstanding
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “superior”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 上司 | じょうし joushi | (one's) superior; (one's) boss; the higher-ups |
| 上位 | じょうい joui | superior (in rank); top; ranking |
| 先輩 | せんぱい senpai | senior (at school, work, etc.); superior; elder |
| 優良 | ゆうりょう yuuryou | superior; excellent; fine |
| 上等 | じょうとう joutou | superior; first-class; excellent |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 優勝 | ゆうしょう yuushou | overall victory; championship; winning the title |
| 女優 | じょゆう joyuu | actress; female actor |
| 優先 | ゆうせん yuusen | preference; priority; precedence |
| 俳優 | はいゆう haiyuu | actor; actress; player |
| 優しい | やさしい yasashii | tender; kind; gentle |
| 秀逸 | しゅういつ shuuitsu | excellent; superb; first-rate |
| 秀才 | しゅうさい shuusai | bright person; talented student; prodigy |
| 秀作 | しゅうさく shuusaku | excellent (piece of) work |
See also: Chinese symbol for “superior”.
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.