Japanese symbol for “civilisation”
文化
ぶんか
Romaji: bunka
culture; civilization; civilisation
In Japanese, civilisation is 文化, read ぶんか (bunka).
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 culture; civilization; civilisation
- n Bunka era (1804.2.11-1818.4.22)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “civilisation”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 文明 | ぶんめい bunmei | civilization; civilisation; culture |
| 人文 | じんぶん jinbun | humanity; civilization; civilisation |
| 教化 | きょうか kyouka | education; enlightenment; civilization |
| 開明 | かいめい kaimei | civilization; civilisation; enlightenment |
| 開化 | かいか kaika | civilization; civilisation; enlightenment |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 文字 | もじ moji | letter (of an alphabet); character |
| 注文 | ちゅうもん chuumon | order (for an item) |
| 文書 | ぶんしょ bunsho | document; writing; letter |
| 文章 | ぶんしょう bunshou | writing; composition; essay |
| 論文 | ろんぶん ronbun | thesis; essay; treatise |
| 変化 | へんか henka | change; variation; alteration |
| 強化 | きょうか kyouka | strengthening; intensifying; reinforcement |
| 悪化 | あっか akka | deterioration; getting worse; worsening |
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.