Japanese symbol for “bodhisattva”
菩薩
ぼさつ
Romaji: bosatsu
bodhisattva; one who has reached enlightenment but vows to save all beings before becoming a buddha
In Japanese, bodhisattva is 菩薩, read ぼさつ (bosatsu).
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, n-suf bodhisattva; one who has reached enlightenment but vows to save all beings before becoming a buddha (Buddh)
- n, n-suf High Monk (title bestowed by the imperial court)
- n, n-suf title bestowed to Shinto kami in manifestation theory
Written forms: 菩薩. Readings: ぼさつ、ぼさち.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “bodhisattva”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 菩提薩埵 | ぼだいさった bodaisatta | bodhisattva |
| 聖人 | しょうにん shounin | Buddha; bodhisattva |
| 仏子 | ぶっし busshi | Bodhisattva |
| 上士 | じょうし joushi | bodhisattva |
| 薩埵 | さった satta | bodhisattva |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 菩提寺 | ぼだいじ bodaiji | one's family temple; temple with one's family grave |
| 菩提 | ぼだい bodai | bodhi; enlightenment |
| 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) |
| 薩長 | さっちょう satchou | Satsuma and Chōshū (clan alliance) |
| 薩摩 | さつま satsuma | Satsuma (former province located in the west of present-day Kagoshima Prefecture) |
| 普賢菩薩 | ふげんぼさつ fugenbosatsu | Samantabhadra (Bodhisattva); Fugen; Puxian |
See also: Chinese symbol for “bodhisattva”.
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.