King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “trailblazer”

Romaji: kusawake
pathfinder; trailblazer; early settler

In Japanese, trailblazer is , read (kusawake).

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 pathfinder; trailblazer; early settler
  2. n pioneer; founder; originator; groundbreaker

Kanji and stroke order

grass, weeds, herbs
on: ソウ
kun: くさ、くさ-、-ぐさ
9 strokes · JLPT 2
part, minute of time, segment
on: ブン、フン、ブ
kun: わ.ける、わ.け、わ.かれる、わ.かる
4 strokes · JLPT 4

Other Japanese words for “trailblazer”

WordReadingMeaning
せんくしゃ senkushapioneer; trailblazer; leader

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
タバコ tabakotobacco; cigarette; cigar
そうげん sougengrassy field; grassland; meadow
ざっそう zassouweed
そうしょく soushokuherbivorous; plant-eating; graminivorous
くさき kusakiplants; vegetation
そうあん souandraft (for a speech, bill, etc.)
じぶん jibunmyself; yourself; oneself
ぶぶん bubunportion; section; part

See also: Chinese symbol for “trailblazer”.

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.