Japanese symbol for “commoner”
平民
へいみん
Romaji: heimin
commoner; plebeian
In Japanese, commoner is 平民, read へいみん (heimin).
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 commoner; plebeian
- n commoner (in Japan between 1869 and 1947; the lowest of the three classes)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “commoner”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 草莽 | そうもう soumou | commoner; humble subject |
| 布衣 | ふい fui | commoner |
| 地下 | じげ jige | ordinary person; commoner; peasant |
| 庶人 | しょじん shojin | commoner; common people |
| 匹夫 | ひっぷ hippu | man of humble position; commoner; ordinary man |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 平和 | へいわ heiwa | peace; harmony |
| 平均 | へいきん heikin | average; mean |
| 平成 | へいせい heisei | Heisei era (1989.1.8-2019.4.30) |
| 平日 | へいじつ heijitsu | weekday; ordinary days (i.e. non-holiday) |
| 平野 | へいや heiya | plain; open field |
| 公平 | こうへい kouhei | fair; impartial; just |
| 国民 | こくみん kokumin | people (of a country); nation; citizen |
| 市民 | しみん shimin | citizen (of a country); citizenry |
See also: Chinese symbol for “commoner”.
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.