Japanese symbol for “virtue”
善
ぜん
Romaji: zen
good; goodness; right; virtue
In Japanese, virtue is 善, read ぜん (zen).
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 good; goodness; right; virtue
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “virtue”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 長所 | ちょうしょ chousho | strong point; merit; virtue |
| 美徳 | びとく bitoku | virtue |
| 効き目 | ききめ kikime | effect; virtue; efficacy |
| 美点 | びてん biten | virtue; charm; merit |
| 仁義 | じんぎ jingi | humanity and justice (esp. in Confucianism); virtue |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 改善 | かいぜん kaizen | betterment; improvement |
| 善意 | ぜんい zen'i | virtuous mind |
| 親善 | しんぜん shinzen | friendship; goodwill; friendly relations |
| 慈善 | じぜん jizen | charity; benevolence; philanthropy |
| 善良 | ぜんりょう zenryou | good (person, nature, etc.); good-natured; virtuous |
| 最善 | さいぜん saizen | the very best; utmost |
See also: Chinese symbol for “virtue”.
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.