Japanese symbol for “buddhism”
仏教
ぶっきょう
Romaji: bukkyou
Buddhism
In Japanese, buddhism is 仏教, read ぶっきょう (bukkyou).
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 Buddhism
Written forms: 仏教、佛教. Readings: ぶっきょう.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “buddhism”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 仏法 | ぶっぽう buppou | Buddhist teachings; Buddhism |
| 仏門 | ぶつもん butsumon | Buddhist teachings; Buddhist path; Buddhism |
| 仏 | ぶつ butsu | Buddhism |
| 聖教 | せいきょう seikyou | Buddhism |
| 仏道 | ぶつどう butsudou | teachings of Buddha; Buddhist teachings; Buddhist path |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 教育 | きょういく kyouiku | education; schooling; training |
| 教え | おしえ oshie | teaching; instruction; teachings |
| 教授 | きょうじゅ kyouju | professor |
See also: Chinese symbol for “buddhism”.
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.