Japanese symbol for “crest”
紋章
もんしょう
Romaji: monshou
crest; coat of arms
In Japanese, crest is 紋章, read もんしょう (monshou).
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 crest; coat of arms
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “crest”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 紋 | もん mon | (family) crest; coat of arms |
| 穂 | ほ ho | crest (of a wave) |
| 印 | しるし shirushi | badge; crest; flag |
| 前立て | まえだて maedate | crest (of a helmet); plume; pompom |
| クレスト | クレスト kuresuto | crest (heraldry) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 指紋 | しもん shimon | fingerprint |
| 波紋 | はもん hamon | ripple; ring on the water |
| 家紋 | かもん kamon | family crest |
| 声紋 | せいもん seimon | voiceprint |
| 紋付 | もんつき montsuki | clothing (e.g. kimono) decorated with one's family crest |
| 文章 | ぶんしょう bunshou | writing; composition; essay |
| 勲章 | くんしょう kunshou | decoration; order; medal |
| 憲章 | けんしょう kenshou | charter |
See also: Chinese symbol for “crest”.
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.