Japanese symbol for “bureaucracy”
官僚
かんりょう
Romaji: kanryou
bureaucrat; government official; bureaucracy
In Japanese, bureaucracy is 官僚, read かんりょう (kanryou).
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 bureaucrat; government official; bureaucracy
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “bureaucracy”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 官 | かん kan | government; government service; the bureaucracy |
| 官僚主義 | かんりょうしゅぎ kanryoushugi | bureaucracy |
| 官僚制 | かんりょうせい kanryousei | bureaucracy |
| 官僚機構 | かんりょうきこう kanryoukikou | bureaucratic organization; bureaucracy |
| ビューロクラシー | ビューロクラシー byuurokurashii | bureaucracy |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 警官 | けいかん keikan | police officer; policeman; constable |
| 長官 | ちょうかん choukan | secretary (government); director; chief |
| 官邸 | かんてい kantei | official residence (e.g. of the prime minister) |
| 官庁 | かんちょう kanchou | government office; government agency; authorities |
| 官房 | かんぼう kanbou | government secretariat |
| 閣僚 | かくりょう kakuryou | cabinet ministers |
| 同僚 | どうりょう douryou | coworker; co-worker; colleague |
| 幕僚 | ばくりょう bakuryou | staff; staff officer |
See also: Chinese symbol for “bureaucracy”.
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.