Japanese symbol for “bookstore”
本屋
ほんや
Romaji: hon'ya
bookstore; bookshop
In Japanese, bookstore is 本屋, read ほんや (hon'ya).
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 bookstore; bookshop
- n publisher
- n main building
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “bookstore”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 書店 | しょてん shoten | bookshop; bookstore |
| 書房 | しょぼう shobou | bookstore; bookshop; publishing company |
| 書肆 | しょし shoshi | bookstore; bookshop |
| 書林 | しょりん shorin | vast stock of books; bookstore; bookshop |
| 書籍商 | しょせきしょう shosekishou | bookstore; bookshop |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 日本 | にほん nihon | Japan |
| 基本 | きほん kihon | basics; fundamentals; basis |
| 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 |
| 本来 | ほんらい honrai | originally; primarily |
| 本気 | ほんき honki | seriousness; earnestness; truth |
| 部屋 | へや heya | room; chamber |
| 屋根 | やね yane | roof |
See also: Chinese symbol for “bookstore”.
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.