Chinese symbol for “reference”
参考
cān kǎo
Traditional: 參考
consultation; reference; to consult; to refer
The closest CC-CEDICT match for reference is 参考 (cān kǎo), defined as: consultation; reference; to consult; to refer.
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Traditional forms
Other Chinese words for “reference”
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 介绍信 (介紹信) | jiè shào xìn | letter of introduction; recommendation letter; reference |
| 指称 (指稱) | zhǐ chēng | designation; reference |
| 参考文献 (參考文獻) | cān kǎo wén xiàn | cited material; reference (to the literature) |
| 引用 | yǐn yòng | to quote; to cite; to recommend; to appoint |
| 引征 (引徵) | yǐn zhēng | quotation; citing |
Related words
Other words that share a character with 参考.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 参加 (參加) | cān jiā | to participate; to take part; to join |
| 参与 (參與) | cān yù | to participate (in sth) |
| 参观 (參觀) | cān guān | to visit (a place, e.g. museum or factory); to tour; to look around |
| 参数 (參數) | cān shù | parameter |
| 参赛 (參賽) | cān sài | to compete; to take part in a competition |
| 考虑 (考慮) | kǎo lǜ | to think over; to consider |
| 考试 (考試) | kǎo shì | to take an exam; exam |
| 思考 | sī kǎo | to reflect on; to ponder over |
See also: Japanese symbol for “reference”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.