Japanese symbol for “basics”
基本
きほん
Romaji: kihon
basics; fundamentals; basis; foundation
In Japanese, basics is 基本, read きほん (kihon).
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 basics; fundamentals; basis; foundation
- adv basically; fundamentally
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “basics”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 初歩 | しょほ shoho | basics; rudiments; elements |
| 心得 | こころえ kokoroe | essentials; know-how; guidelines |
| 基礎知識 | きそちしき kisochishiki | fundamental knowledge; the basics |
| ＡＢＣ | エー・ビー・シー ee・bii・shii | the ABCs (of); basics; fundamentals |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 基準 | きじゅん kijun | standard; criterion; norm |
| 基地 | きち kichi | base (military, expedition, etc.) |
| 基礎 | きそ kiso | foundation; basis |
| 基盤 | きばん kiban | base; basis; foundation |
| 基づく | もとづく motozuku | to be based (on); to be founded (on); to be grounded (on) |
| 日本 | にほん nihon | Japan |
| 本当 | ほんとう hontou | truth; reality; actuality |
| 本人 | ほんにん honnin | the person in question; the person themselves; said person |
See also: Chinese symbol for “basics”.
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.