Japanese symbol for “balm”

芳香

ほうこう

Romaji: houkou

perfume; fragrance; aroma; balm

In Japanese, balm is 芳香, read ほうこう (houkou).

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-no, n perfume; fragrance; aroma; balm; sweet scent

Kanji and stroke order

芳

perfume, balmy, favorable

on: ホウ
kun: かんば.しい

7 strokes · JLPT 1

香

incense, smell, perfume

on: コウ、キョウ
kun: か、かお.り、かお.る

9 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “balm”

Word	Reading	Meaning
バーム	バーム baamu	balm
香油	こうゆ kouyu	pomade; balm; perfumed oil

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
芳しい	かんばしい kanbashii	sweet-smelling; fragrant; aromatic
芳樹	ほうじゅ houju	beautiful tree; tree producing beautiful flowers
芳醇	ほうじゅん houjun	mellow (flavor or fragrance; esp. of alcohol); rich; full-bodied
蘇芳	すおう suou	sappanwood (Caesalpinia sappan)
芳名	ほうめい houmei	your name
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

See also: Chinese symbol for “balm”.

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.