Japanese symbol for “bodhi”

菩提

ぼだい

Romaji: bodai

bodhi; enlightenment

In Japanese, bodhi is 菩提, read ぼだい (bodai).

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 bodhi; enlightenment (Buddh)
n happiness in the next world (Buddh)

Kanji and stroke order

菩

kind of grass, sacred tree

on: ボ

11 strokes

提

propose, take along, carry in hand

on: テイ、チョウ、ダイ
kun: さ.げる

12 strokes · JLPT 1

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
菩薩	ぼさつ bosatsu	bodhisattva; one who has reached enlightenment but vows to save all beings before becoming a buddha
菩提寺	ぼだいじ bodaiji	one's family temple; temple with one's family grave
菩提樹	ぼだいじゅ bodaiju	Tilia miqueliana (species of linden tree)
弥勒菩薩	みろくぼさつ mirokubosatsu	Maitreya (Bodhisattva); Miroku
大菩薩峠	だいぼさつとうげ daibosatsutouge	The Sword of Doom (1966 film)
提供	ていきょう teikyou	offer; tender; providing
提案	ていあん teian	proposal; proposition; suggestion
提出	ていしゅつ teishutsu	presentation (of documents); submission (of an application, report, etc.); production (e.g. of evidence)

See also: Chinese symbol for “bodhi”.

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.