Japanese symbol for “sustenance”
糧
かて
Romaji: kate
food; provisions
In Japanese, sustenance is 糧, read かて (kate).
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 food; provisions
- n nourishment (mental, spiritual, etc.); sustenance (e.g. of one's life); source of encouragement
Written forms: 糧、粮. Readings: かて、りょう、かりて.
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 食糧 | しょくりょう shokuryou | food (esp. staple food such as rice or wheat); provisions; rations |
| 兵糧 | ひょうろう hyourou | (army) provisions; food |
| 糧食 | りょうしょく ryoushoku | provisions |
| 食糧難 | しょくりょうなん shokuryounan | food shortage; food scarcity; difficulty of obtaining food |
| 食糧庁 | しょくりょうちょう shokuryouchou | food agency |
| 糧道 | りょうどう ryoudou | supply line; supply of provisions |
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.