Japanese symbol for “aromatic”
香ばしい
こうばしい
Romaji: koubashii
aromatic (roasted beans, roasted tea, etc.); fragrant (e.g. burning wood); pleasant-smelling; savory-smelling (e.g. barbecued meat)
In Japanese, aromatic is 香ばしい, read こうばしい (koubashii).
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
- adj-i aromatic (roasted beans, roasted tea, etc.); fragrant (e.g. burning wood); pleasant-smelling; savory-smelling (e.g. barbecued meat); savoury; appetizing
Written forms: 香ばしい、芳ばしい. Readings: こうばしい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “aromatic”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 芳しい | かんばしい kanbashii | sweet-smelling; fragrant; aromatic |
| 芳烈 | ほうれつ houretsu | aromatic; heroic deed; outstanding achievement |
| アロマティック | アロマティック aromatikku | aromatic |
| 郁郁 | いくいく ikuiku | flourishing; teeming with culture; aromatic |
| 芳香剤 | ほうこうざい houkouzai | air freshener; fragrance; aromatic |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 香り | かおり kaori | aroma; fragrance; scent |
| 香港 | ホンコン honkon | Hong Kong |
| 香水 | こうすい kousui | perfume; scent |
| 芳香 | ほうこう houkou | perfume; fragrance; aroma |
| 線香 | せんこう senkou | incense stick |
| 香辛料 | こうしんりょう koushinryou | spice; spices; condiment |
See also: Chinese symbol for “aromatic”.
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.