Kanji Meanings
Kanji Meanings for Calligraphy: 42 Characters Explained
Every kanji in our single-character series, grouped by theme — nature, virtues, Zen, the warrior — with its real meaning and a link to the full guide on how to write it.
Kanji Meanings
字 ji · character
Pick a character to see what it really means in Japan, where its shape comes from, how to write it, and what to know before you put it on a gift or a tattoo.
42 kanji, A to Z
美 Beauty 桜 Cherry blossom 勇 Courage 鬼 Demon 龍 Dragon 夢 Dream 土 Earth 空 Emptiness 忍 Endurance 火 Fire 花 Flower 福 Fortune 神 God 金 Gold 地 Ground 幸 Happiness 和 Harmony 心 Heart 天 Heaven 王 King 命 Life 光 Light 愛 Love 運 Luck 月 Moon 山 Mountain 無 Nothingness 平 Peace 義 Righteousness 侍 Samurai 誠 Sincerity 力 Strength 雷 Thunder 虎 Tiger 木 Tree 真 Truth 勝 Victory 武 Warrior 水 Water 道 Way 風 Wind 禅 Zen
Choosing a kanji
Names & Tattoos
The Complete Guide to Kanji Tattoos: Get One Right (2026)
Most kanji tattoos are subtly wrong in ways their owners never learn. A Japanese calligrapher's complete guide to choosing, writing, and getting a kanji tattoo right.