Japanese symbol for “calligraphy”
書道
しょどう
Romaji: shodou
calligraphy (esp. Asian calligraphy based on Chinese characters)
In Japanese, calligraphy is 書道, read しょどう (shodou).
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 calligraphy (esp. Asian calligraphy based on Chinese characters)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “calligraphy”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 習字 | しゅうじ shuuji | penmanship; calligraphy |
| 書 | しょ sho | calligraphy (esp. Chinese); penmanship |
| 書き方 | かきかた kakikata | penmanship (esp. used in old textbooks); calligraphy |
| 書法 | しょほう shohou | penmanship; calligraphy |
| 能書 | のうしょ nousho | excellent calligraphy; calligraphy |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 文書 | ぶんしょ bunsho | document; writing; letter |
| 書籍 | しょせき shoseki | book; publication |
| 書類 | しょるい shorui | document; papers |
| 図書館 | としょかん toshokan | library |
| 書店 | しょてん shoten | bookshop; bookstore |
| 教科書 | きょうかしょ kyoukasho | textbook; coursebook; schoolbook |
| 報道 | ほうどう houdou | report (of news); reporting; news |
| 道路 | どうろ douro | road; highway |
See also: Chinese symbol for “calligraphy”.
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.