What is Japanese Symbols?
Japanese-Symbols.org is a free online reference dedicated to Japanese writing and its meaning. Whether you're a language learner, a student researching a tattoo, a writer looking for accuracy, or simply someone fascinated by Japanese culture — this site is built for you.
We cover all three Japanese scripts:
- Kanji — logographic characters, each carrying its own meaning and readings. We have over 128 dedicated pages explaining the most searched kanji symbols.
- Hiragana — the foundational Japanese syllabary, used for native words and grammar. Learn it with our free Hiragana.
- Katakana — the angular script used for foreign loanwords and emphasis. Practice it with our Katakana.
Why we built this
Japanese writing is genuinely fascinating — and genuinely misunderstood. The internet is full of incorrect translations, oversimplified kanji meanings, and tattoo disasters that result from a five-second Google search. A character that looks elegant might mean something entirely different from what you think, or carry a nuance that changes everything.
Our goal is straightforward: give you accurate, well-explained information you can actually trust. Every kanji page explains the character's meaning, its readings (on'yomi and kun'yomi), and the cultural context behind it.
On accuracy: Japanese has no direct equivalent for many English concepts. Where a word-for-word translation doesn't exist, we explain what the closest term is and why — rather than giving you a misleading single-character answer.
What you'll find here
- 128+ kanji reference pages — from love (愛) to strength (力) to dragon (龍)
- Interactive trainers — free quiz games to drill all 46 hiragana and katakana characters
- Full alphabet charts — hiragana and katakana side by side on the Japanese Alphabet page
- Blog guides — deeper articles on proverbs, culture, greetings, zodiac, and language learning on the blog
Special Thanks
The stroke order diagrams and animations on our kanji pages use data from KanjiVG © Ulrich Apel, under CC BY-SA 3.0. KanjiVG is an open-source project providing stroke path data for kanji characters — we use it exclusively for that one feature. All content, design, kanji explanations, games, and tools on this site are original work by Japanese Symbols.
Get in touch
Found an error? Have a suggestion? Want to reach out for any reason? Use the contact page — every message is read personally.
Start exploring
Look up a symbol, train your hiragana, or browse the guides.