Japanese symbol for “antiquity”
古
いにしえ
Romaji: inishie
antiquity; ancient times; bygone days; former times
In Japanese, antiquity is 古, read いにしえ (inishie).
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.
Meanings
- n antiquity; ancient times; bygone days; former times
Written forms: 古、往古、古え. Readings: いにしえ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “antiquity”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 古代 | こだい kodai | ancient times; distant past; antiquity |
| 前世 | ぜんせい zensei | antiquity; the previous era |
| 時代 | じだい jidai | oldness; ancientness; antiquity |
| 上世 | かみつよ kamitsuyo | antiquity; ancient times |
| 旧故 | きゅうこ kyuuko | antiquity; old acquaintance |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 古い | ふるい furui | old; aged; ancient |
| 古代 | こだい kodai | ancient times; distant past; antiquity |
| 中古 | ちゅうこ chuuko | used; second-hand; old |
| 古典 | こてん koten | classic (work, esp. book); the classics |
| 稽古 | けいこ keiko | practice; practising; training |
| 古本 | ふるほん furuhon | secondhand book |
See also: Chinese symbol for “antiquity”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.