MEANING BEFORE LETTERING
What kind of strength
do you mean?
Power. Courage. Perseverance. One English word can point to different Japanese ideas.
Start with the story you want to tell. These are distinct choices, not three ways to write the same word.
POWER & ABILITY
chikara / ちから
The power to do something.
Dictionary meaning
Strength, power, or ability. 力 can refer to physical force, but it also has senses connected with ability, influence, and effort. The English word “strength” does not tell us which of these you intend.
Your tattoo intention
If your idea is having the power or capacity to act, start here. A personal association with recovery or determination is your interpretation, rather than an additional dictionary definition.
Explore 力: meaning & lettering →BRAVERY
yū / ゆう
Acting with courage.
Dictionary meaning
Courage or bravery. 勇 concerns bravery and being courageous. It is a character used in compounds; the everyday word for courage, 勇気 (yūki), has two characters. Yū is the on-reading shown here.
Your tattoo intention
If you mean facing fear or taking a brave step, courage may express your intention more closely than physical power. 勇 is not an interchangeable translation of every use of “strength”.
Explore 勇: meaning & lettering →PERSEVERANCE
futō fukutsu / ふとうふくつ
Not giving in to difficulty.
Dictionary meaning
Unyielding resolve. 不撓不屈 is a four-character idiom about not losing heart in the face of difficulty. It describes perseverance, rather than physical invulnerability.
Your tattoo intention
If your story is about continuing through hardship, this is a phrase to explore. It does not promise that you cannot be hurt or defeated. Four characters also need a different layout from a single-character design.
Explore 不撓不屈: meaning & lettering →What about 剛?
Our dictionary also lists 剛 under “Strength”. It describes being strong, hard, or firm. Gō is an on-reading used in compounds; the English label is a starting point, not a universal translation.
Read the notes for 剛 →Make the meaning clear before the design.
- Write one sentence about what “strength” means to you.
- Read the full dictionary entry, including the reading and context.
- Review the final lettering, spacing, direction, and actual-size stencil with your artist and a fluent Japanese reader.
Brush and historical styles can be harder to recognize. A preview is a design reference, not a guarantee that a tattoo will remain legible at a particular size.
Explore the dictionary ↗