What Does Kanji Mean?
Words are represented by Japanese characters called kanji (漖字). One of the three scripts used to write Japanese is called kanji. In the fifth century, these characters were brought to Japan from China.
Typically, kanji are created in a wonderful, calligraphy-like style using a brush and black ink. Kanji fits the bill if you’re thinking about getting a simple elegant, and meaningful tattoo, but you have to get it exactly right. After spending several years living in Japan, I currently work as a translator and Japanese language instructor. I’ve included my top ten favorite Kanji tattoos below, along with some more useful advice for designing Kanji tattoos correctly.
Ideas
What you’ll find below is.
- A list of ten strong, significant, lovely and their translations,
- Details on how to do your research on to ensure you get exactly what you desire, additionally
- A few quotes about sayings from Japanese proverbs that look fantastic as tattoos.
Superb and Smooth:
This one, which has two meanings, is one of my favorites. One demonstrates “gentle and caring.” “Excellent” describes the other.
This kanji tattoo appears in Japanese names quite frequently. For instance, it appears in the name 優子, pronounced yuuko, for a Japanese girl.
Two terms that often involve these kanji tattoos are:
- Yuushou, or 넪勝, is a word for a “win” or “victory.”
- Pronounce it “yuusen,” 넪先, which means “priority.” Although it’s not a formal word, the expression 釥分優先 (pronounced jibun yuusen) roughly translates to “self-priority.”
Read this article for more help.
Laugh or Smiling:
The meaning of the character 笑 is “laugh” or “smile.”It’s commonly used in texts with pals and functions similarly to LOL (laughing out loud).
Triumph: 狝
The meaning of kanji 匝 is “victory.”Writing 苘恧, it’s pronounced katsu and signifies “win.” Before a game or test, the Japanese usually consume katsu udon, which is noodles with meat cutlets. Since the word “katsu” is linked to success, they think this will bring them luck.
Popular terms that use this character are 優勝, which is pronounced (as previously indicated) as yuushou. Thus, the kanji tattoo characters for “excellence” and “victory” are used to create the word “championship” or “overall victory.”
The word 茞利, which is pronounced as “shouri,” also uses this character. Once more, this term denotes “success” or “victory.”
Power: 力
With just two strokes, that simply represents “strength” or “vigor.”Pronounce it “chikara.”
協力 is a well-known term that employs this character. This term, which is pronounced “kyouryoku,” means “cooperate” or “support.” I adore how numerous characters for “strength” are used to form this one word.
Lovely:美
The meaning of this character is “beautiful,” and it’s common in names for Japanese girls. This character, for instance, is used in the name Harumi.
Several often-used words involving this character are:
- Meaning binan, 男, which means “handsome man.”
- Meaning “bijin,” for “beautiful woman.”
- Meaning “bijo,” 美奆 also translates to “beautiful woman.”
Forever:永
This kanji tattoos can indicate “lengthy,” “eternity,” or “perpetuity.”
Consider using the term 氅遠, which is pronounced eien and meaning “perpetual” or “immortal.”
Calm: ᒌ
This character is used to denote “peace” and is frequently used to indicate “Japanese style” in compound terms.
It should be noted that this character can signify “Japanese style” in terms like 和磟 (pronounced washoku), which means “Japanese food,” and 和室 (pronounced washitsu). Thus, if you want it to mean “peace,” use the term 繳璌 or the individual character.
Love:愛
kanji for this is “love.”Other terms include:
- 恋愛: This term, which is pronounced renai, signifies “romantic passion” or “love”.
- 愛情: This term, which is pronounced as “aijyou,” signifies “love” or “affection”.
Maybe this kanji tattoo is more effective when used alone.
Zen: 榅
This character can also mean “meditation” in addition to “zen Buddhism.” Although this character is also effective when used alone, some common words that use it are:
禅寺: Spelled “zendera,” it means “Zen temple.”
Said as “zazen,” 座禅 is the pronunciation of “seated in a cross-legged position.”
Fortune Favorably:福
This kanji represents “happiness” or “good fortune.”
劸福, often pronounced as “koufuku,” is a commonly used kanji that denotes “happiness,” “well-being,” and “joy.”
Were you aware? In Japanese, “tattoo” is called “irezumi” (入れ墨). “Insert ink” is what the kanjis imply.
How you can Research for a Tattoo in Kanji
- I go over the meanings of my top 10 kanji tattoos above. But I suggest trying the following if you’d like to learn more about different kanjis.
- Look up a desired English word.
- Visit the Jisho website to access an excellent online Japanese dictionary.
- To learn how to write, copy, and paste the characters one at a time here to observe how the brush strokes are done. The stroke order for writing is provided on this page. The instructions are simple to follow and color-coded. To test it out, input a straightforward two-stroke such as 力, which means strength.
Japanese sayings and proverbs that make wonderful tattoos
A motivational saying or proverb can be a good option if you want to go for something more intricate. The meanings of a few of my personal favorites are listed here.
- Said juunin to iro, 十人十牲 translates to “10 persons, 10 colors.” It means, in essence, that “every person is unique.”
- 縀朎縀缚: This is pronounced “ichi go ichi e,” which translates to “one life, one encounter.” It means, in essence, that “every encounter is unique” or “you can’t touch the same moment twice.”
- 惩故知新: Spelled onko chishin, this phrase translates to “using the past to learn new things.”
- Pronounce it as “unagi souten,” which translates to “there is blue sky beyond the clouds.” It functions similarly to “there is always hope.”
Advice on Getting a Tattoo of a Japanese Character
All of the kanjis on the above list are utilized in Japanese. Still, before making any decisions, you should always conduct some study.
Kanji tattoos, Single or Compound: Numerous kanji tattoos might not have much meaning by themselves. I have highlighted kanjis in the list above that have a generally favorable meaning attached to them. They can be used solo or in conjunction with other kanji to form words.
Meaning against Beauty: Don’t rely your choice solely on the character’s beauty.
various meanings depending on the situation: Research its meaning in various situations. When pronounced sora, for instance, 空 suggests “sky,” but it may also indicate “empty” in phrases like 空鉋 (karate), which translates to “empty hands,” and 空車 (empty cab). Although tattoos like “sky” and “karate” could look good, you surely don’t want one that says “empty taxi.”
Pick Your Artist Wisely: Not every artist will be proficient in writing, familiar with kanji, and able to create in a decent style. I came onto a post on a website about someone with a kanji tattoo of their mirror image. I’m not sure how that happened, but it wouldn’t if they sought advice from a specialist in this field. All of this is preventable with a small amount of homework.