King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “tribute”

Romaji: aitou
condolence; regret; tribute; sorrow

In Japanese, tribute is , read (aitou).

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. adj-no, n, vs condolence; regret; tribute; sorrow; sympathy; lament

Kanji and stroke order

pathetic, grief, sorrow
on: アイ
kun: あわ.れ、あわ.れむ、かな.しい
9 strokes · JLPT 1
lament, grieve over
on: トウ
kun: いた.む
11 strokes · JLPT 1

Other Japanese words for “tribute”

WordReadingMeaning
こう koutribute
さん sanpraise; tribute
みつぎ mitsugitribute (to a monarch, feudal lord, etc.)
こうけん koukenpaying tribute; tribute
トリビュート toribyuutotribute

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
かわいそう kawaisoupoor; pitiable; pathetic
あわれ awarepity; sorrow; grief
あいしゅう aishuupathos; sorrow; grief
きどあいらく kidoairakuhuman emotions (joy, anger, grief and pleasure); feelings
ひあい hiaisorrow; grief; sadness
ついとう tsuitoumourning
いたむ itamuto grieve over; to mourn; to lament
ついとうかい tsuitoukaimemorial services

See also: Chinese symbol for “tribute”.

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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