Kanji for “pride”

Pride held with dignity, confidence in one's ability, or self-respect as a standard.

誇り hokori

Closest natural translation · misunderstanding risk Low

Reading: hokori — Common standalone reading
About the reading: The everyday word. The trailing り is part of it and cannot be dropped.
Literal meaning: Pride
What it suggests: The good kind — pride in your work, your family, your origins. Not arrogance.
When to use it: For pride as something you hold with dignity.
On its own: Very natural.
In compounds: Natural in 誇りを持つ (to take pride in).
As a tattoo: Warm and unambiguous. Note that the identical sound ほこり also means dust, written 埃 — different character, same pronunciation.

自負 jifu

Related meaning, not a literal translation · misunderstanding risk Low

Reading: jifu — Common compound reading
About the reading: A standard compound, common in writing and formal speech.
Literal meaning: Self-confidence in one's ability
What it suggests: Quiet certainty that you are good at something. It is about competence, not about belonging.
When to use it: For pride in your own skill.
On its own: Natural as a formal noun.
In compounds: Natural in 自負心 (self-assurance).
As a tattoo: Understated and adult; it reads as professional confidence.

矜持 kyōji

Symbolic choice, not a literal translation · misunderstanding risk Medium

Reading: kyōji — Common compound reading; literary
About the reading: A literary word; 矜 is outside the standard character set and rarely written by hand.
Literal meaning: Dignity, self-respect
What it suggests: The pride that keeps you from acting cheaply — a professional's or a warrior's refusal to lower themselves.
When to use it: For pride as a standard you hold yourself to.
On its own: Natural in writing; uncommon in speech.
In compounds: Natural as the complete word 矜持.
As a tattoo: Distinctive and admired, but many Japanese readers cannot write 矜 from memory and some will not read it at all.
Worth knowing: 矜 is a 表外字 — outside the standard set — so a share of readers will not know it.

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