The Japanese kanji for strength is 力, read chikara on its own. Two strokes, the fewest of any character in this set, and originally a pictograph of a muscled arm or a plow. It means strength, power, force, and ability, and it is one of the most productive characters in the language: hundreds of common words are built on it.
The Kanji at a Glance
- Character: 力
- On’yomi: リョク (ryoku), リキ (riki)
- Kun’yomi: ちから (chikara)
- Stroke count: 2
- General meaning: strength, power, force, capability
- Radical: 力 is itself a radical, appearing in 動 (to move), 助 (to help), and 加 (to add)
Meaning and Nuance
力 covers more ground than English “strength.” It is physical power, but it is also capacity in the abstract: 実力 (jitsuryoku) is genuine ability, 学力 (gakuryoku) is academic ability, 想像力 (souzouryoku) is imagination. When a Japanese speaker says someone has 力, the meaning depends entirely on the surrounding words.
Note the two on’yomi. リキ (riki) tends to appear in older or more physical vocabulary, リョク (ryoku) in the general modern stock.
Real compounds:
- 努力 (doryoku): effort, sustained hard work. This is the word Japanese schooling is built around, and it sits close to ganbaru.
- 体力 (tairyoku): physical stamina, the strength that gets you through a long day.
- 力士 (rikishi): a sumo wrestler, literally a “strength person,” using the riki reading.
What 力 does not quite carry is inner resilience, the strength of enduring something. Japanese has better words for that: 我慢 (gaman), the quiet bearing of hardship, and 忍耐 (nintai), patient endurance. If the tattoo is about surviving something, gaman is the concept you are reaching for.
As a Tattoo
Two strokes is the appeal and the risk. 力 is bold, fast, and unmistakably confident under a brush, and it survives any placement or size. It is also the closest thing to a minimalist kanji, so the execution has to be good; there is nowhere to hide a wobbly line.
It looks almost exactly like the katakana カ (ka). This is the single most important thing to know about tattooing 力. In most fonts the two are near twins: the kanji is slightly wider with a longer, more curved left-falling stroke, and the katakana is narrower and more upright. Japanese readers tell them apart from context, not shape, and a standalone character on an arm has no context. Expect some viewers to read your tattoo as the syllable ka. A calligraphic brush rendering, where the kanji’s sweep is exaggerated, reduces the ambiguity more than a printed font does.
Consider 強 instead. 強 (kyou, tsuyoi, 11 strokes) means strong, and the noun 強さ (tsuyosa) means strength as a quality rather than a force. It has no look-alike problem and it reads as “strong” in a personal sense. Where 力 is power available, 強 is being strong.
Skip improvised pairings. 力 is a suffix in hundreds of real words, so any second character you add creates a dictionary entry, not a phrase of your own.
The character is written the same in Japanese and Chinese. Confirm with a native speaker before you ink.
Compare 力 and 強 side by side in the Japanese Tattoo Generator, and read the wider symbolism in our guide to japanese tattoo meanings.
Related Kanji
FAQ
What is the kanji for strength?
The kanji for strength is 力, read chikara alone and ryoku or riki in compounds. It has two strokes and appears in 努力 (doryoku, effort), 体力 (tairyoku, stamina), and 力士 (rikishi, sumo wrestler).
Why does 力 look like the katakana カ?
Because they are nearly identical in shape. The kanji 力 is a little wider with a longer curving stroke, while katakana カ is narrower. Readers separate them by context, so an isolated character can be read either way.
Should I use 力 or 強 for a strength tattoo?
力 is power or force, the resource. 強 (tsuyoi) is being strong, and 強さ (tsuyosa) is strength as a personal quality. If you mean resilience, 我慢 (gaman) or 忍耐 (nintai) is closer still.
Is 力 the same character in Chinese?
Yes, 力 is written identically in Japanese, simplified Chinese, and traditional Chinese. The Mandarin reading is lì.