King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “watching”

Romaji: kanshi
monitoring; watching; observation; surveillance

In Japanese, watching is , read (kanshi).

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, vs, vt monitoring; watching; observation; surveillance; guarding; supervision

Kanji and stroke order

oversee, official, govt office
on: カン
15 strokes · JLPT 1
inspection, regard as, see
on: シ
kun: み.る
11 strokes · JLPT 1

Other Japanese words for “watching”

WordReadingMeaning
かんさつ kansatsuobservation; survey; watching
しちょう shichoulooking and listening; (television) viewing; watching
けんぶつ kenbutsusightseeing; watching; viewing
ごらん goranseeing; looking; watching
ウォッチング wotchinguwatching

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
かんとく kantokusupervision; control; superintendence
かんきん kankinconfinement; imprisonment; incarceration
かんさ kansainspection; audit; judgement
かんしゅう kanshuu(editorial) supervision; general editorship
かんごく kangokuprison
してん shitenpoint of view; viewpoint; angle
じゅうし juushiregarding as important; attaching importance to; taking a serious view of
むし mushidisregarding; ignoring

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.

Last posts

  1. Choosing Your First Bokken for Serious Samurai Training
  2. Are Engraved Bokken Good Gifts and Can You Train With Them
  3. Best Wooden Naginata for Practice and How to Choose Yours
  4. Choosing a Keikogi for Hakama Compatibility and Performance
  5. What Size Hakama Should I Order for Proper Fit
  6. Best Aikido Hakama for Beginners Choosing Your First Pair
  7. Kendo Bogu Costs and Timing Your First Purchase
  8. Best Kendo Starter Sets for Beginners and How to Choose
  9. Best Sword Oil and Cloth Kits for Wooden Training Weapons
  10. Is Hickory a Good Wood for a Practice Sword