Japanese symbol for “taboo”
禁忌
きんき
Romaji: kinki
taboo
In Japanese, taboo is 禁忌, read きんき (kinki).
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, vs taboo
- n contraindication (med)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “taboo”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 禁物 | きんもつ kinmotsu | thing that should be (carefully) avoided; no-no; thing to definitely not do |
| タブー | タブー tabuu | taboo |
| 法度 | はっと hatto | ban; prohibition; taboo |
| ご法度 | ごはっと gohatto | forbidden; prohibited; banned |
| 忌み | いみ imi | taboo |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 禁止 | きんし kinshi | prohibition; inhibition; ban |
| 禁煙 | きんえん kin'en | abstaining from smoking; quitting smoking |
| 監禁 | かんきん kankin | confinement; imprisonment; incarceration |
| 解禁 | かいきん kaikin | lifting a ban; raising an embargo; opening a season (hunting, fishing, etc.) |
| 禁物 | きんもつ kinmotsu | thing that should be (carefully) avoided; no-no; thing to definitely not do |
| 禁じる | きんじる kinjiru | to forbid; to ban; to prohibit |
| 忌避 | きひ kihi | evasion; avoidance; shirking |
| 忌み | いみ imi | mourning; abstinence |
See also: Chinese symbol for “taboo”.
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.