Japanese symbol for “buddha”
仏
ほとけ
Romaji: hotoke
Buddha; Shakyamuni
In Japanese, buddha is 仏, read ほとけ (hotoke).
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 Buddha; Shakyamuni
- n Buddhist image; figure of Buddha
- n the dead; dead person; departed soul
- n merciful person
Written forms: 仏、佛、𠏹. Readings: ほとけ、ホトケ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “buddha”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 仏陀 | ぶっだ budda | Buddha |
| 大聖 | だいしょう daishou | Buddha |
| お釈迦様 | おしゃかさま oshakasama | Buddha; Shakyamuni; the historical Buddha (5th century BCE?) |
| 法王 | ほうおう houou | Buddha |
| 聖人 | しょうにん shounin | Buddha; bodhisattva |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 仏教 | ぶっきょう bukkyou | Buddhism |
| 仏像 | ぶつぞう butsuzou | statue of Buddha; image of Buddha; Buddhist statue |
| 大仏 | だいぶつ daibutsu | large statue of Buddha (trad. at least 4.8m high) |
| 念仏 | ねんぶつ nenbutsu | nembutsu; nianfo; the three-word invocation "Namu Amida Butsu" dedicated to the Amitabha Buddha |
| 仏壇 | ぶつだん butsudan | Buddhist (household) altar |
| 石仏 | せきぶつ sekibutsu | stone Buddhist image |
See also: Chinese symbol for “buddha”.
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.