A character is a beginning.
Context is everything.

Choose the meaning first

Write down the feeling, person, or idea you want to express. A short English gloss is an introduction to a kanji, rather than an exact match for every use of an English word. Read the entry’s context and dictionary reference.

Read the whole word

A character can have several readings and meanings. Combining characters creates words; placing English translations side by side does not automatically make a Japanese phrase. Have your intended phrase checked as a whole.

Check the final lettering

Take the actual artwork to a fluent Japanese reader and your tattoo artist. Confirm the character, meaning, orientation, and legibility. The character images use Yu Kyokasho Bold by default. In Adjust & download, you can also choose Yuji Syuku, Hina Mincho, Klee One SemiBold, or Kaisei Decol Bold for your design. Gyosho (semi-cursive), Sosho (cursive), Reisho (clerical), and a Zhongshan-inspired seal-script font are also available. Seal script supports selected entries only; unsupported styles are disabled. Historical and cursive forms need review by someone familiar with the script. These are typeset references. They are not custom calligraphy or ready-to-use stencils.

Compare your artwork beside a dictionary reference →

Know what you are downloading

PNG downloads are transparent images sized for the chosen image dimensions with 300 DPI print metadata. Increasing the output dimensions does not add detail to the original artwork. SVG downloads contain filled paths traced from the selected PNG artwork, not the original font outlines. Both preserve the selected image without requiring the recipient to install a font.

Consultation sheets embed lettering images for discussion. They fit the page and are not actual-size stencils. Keep the lettering upright and unmirrored as a reference; ask your artist to verify the final stencil orientation on your body.

Modern, cursive, clerical, and historical seal-script options have different forms. They are not all modern standard Japanese glyphs. Have the exact selected artwork checked by someone familiar with that script.

Our sources & approach

Dictionary links are references only. The linked organizations do not certify, endorse, or supervise this site. AI-assisted editorial checks are not human proofreading.

Starter character studies link to Kanjipedia, published by the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, for dictionary meanings, readings, and stroke counts. English summaries and tattoo-context notes are our editorial explanations, not quotations or endorsements from the source.

This collection includes 79 alphabetical entries and three Naruto-related entries from the original Google Sites collection, alongside our starter character studies. The original source text is preserved in our archive. Public entries use edited dictionary explanations, while unverified historical and cultural claims remain in the labelled archive. The dictionary does not certify a design’s suitability. For personal name ideas, explore the documented name examples and the katakana and ateji guide.

The optional Yuji Syuku lettering is by the Yuji Project Authors, based on calligraphy by Yuji Kataoka. Font project · SIL Open Font License 1.1.

Additional optional lettering: Hina Mincho by satsuyako (SIL OFL), Klee One by the Klee Project Authors (SIL OFL), and Kaisei Decol by the Kaisei Project Authors (SIL OFL).

Brush lettering: Gyosho and Sosho by Aoyagi Kouzan (official source; usage information). Reisho: calligraphy by Aoyagi Kouzan, digitized by SIMO (usage information). The seal-script option is JFZSKSealScript by Jingfeng Liu, inspired by ancient Chinese Zhongshan bronze inscriptions (font project; SIL OFL). The fonts are typeset reference tools, not a certification of historical or tattoo suitability.

Font software and rendered artwork are different things. Read the linked license or usage terms for the relevant font before redistributing font software or using outputs beyond your intended design. Credits are not a blanket permission for every use. The default Yu Kyokasho reference artwork is separate from the eight optional font sources listed here; this page does not assert approval to sell that font or its glyph outputs.