Japanese symbol for “classic”
古典
こてん
Romaji: koten
classic (work, esp. book); the classics
In Japanese, classic is 古典, read こてん (koten).
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 classic (work, esp. book); the classics
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “classic”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 古書 | こしょ kosho | old book; rare book; classic |
| 定番 | ていばん teiban | standard item; usual thing; (a) classic |
| クラシック | クラシック kurashikku | classic; classical |
| 懐かし | なつかし natsukashi | dear (old); good old; longed-for |
| 典雅 | てんが tenga | refined; elegant; graceful |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 古い | ふるい furui | old; aged; ancient |
| 古代 | こだい kodai | ancient times; distant past; antiquity |
| 中古 | ちゅうこ chuuko | used; second-hand; old |
| 稽古 | けいこ keiko | practice; practising; training |
| 古本 | ふるほん furuhon | secondhand book |
| 典型 | てんけい tenkei | type; pattern; model |
| 辞典 | じてん jiten | dictionary; lexicon |
| 出典 | しゅってん shutten | source (e.g. quotation); authority |
See also: Chinese symbol for “classic”.
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.