King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “tonic”

Romaji: kyuu
palace

In Japanese, tonic is , read (kyuu).

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

  1. n palace
  2. n tonic (of the Japanese and Chinese pentatonic scale)
  3. n ancient Chinese punishment (castration for men, or confinement for women)
  4. n, n-suf zodiacal sign

Kanji and stroke order

Shinto shrine, constellations, palace
on: キュウ、グウ、ク、クウ
kun: みや
10 strokes · JLPT 1

Other Japanese words for “tonic”

WordReadingMeaning
トニック tonikkutonic
しゅおん shuontonic; keynote
きょうそうざい kyousouzaitonic; pick-me-up
きょうそうやく kyousouyakutonic; pick-me-up
きつけ kitsukerestorative; stimulant; pick-me-up

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
きゅうでん kyuudenpalace
じんぐう jinguuhigh-status Shinto shrine with connection to imperial family; imperial Shinto shrine
しきゅう shikyuuwomb; uterus
めいきゅう meikyuulabyrinth; maze
にぐう niguuthe Two Ise Shrines
くないちょう kunaichouImperial Household Agency

See also: Chinese symbol for “tonic”.

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.

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