Japanese symbol for “try”
挑戦
ちょうせん
Romaji: chousen
challenge; defiance; dare; attempt
In Japanese, try is 挑戦, read ちょうせん (chousen).
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, vi, vs challenge; defiance; dare; attempt; try
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “try”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 試す | ためす tamesu | to try (out); to have a try (at); to test |
| 見る | みる miru | to try ...; to have a go at ...; to give ... a try |
| 試し | ためし tameshi | trial; test; try |
| 試みる | こころみる kokoromiru | to try; to attempt; to have a go (at) |
| 心がける | こころがける kokorogakeru | to keep in mind; to bear in mind; to try |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 挑発 | ちょうはつ chouhatsu | provocation; stirring up; arousal |
| 挑む | いどむ idomu | to challenge to (a fight, game, etc.); to throw down the gauntlet; to contend for |
| 挑発的 | ちょうはつてき chouhatsuteki | provocative; incendiary; inflammatory |
| 初挑戦 | はつちょうせん hatsuchousen | first challenge; first try |
| 挑戦者 | ちょうせんしゃ chousensha | challenger |
| 戦争 | せんそう sensou | war |
| 戦い | たたかい tatakai | battle; war; fight |
| 作戦 | さくせん sakusen | tactics; strategy |
See also: Chinese symbol for “try”.
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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