Japanese symbol for “culture”
文化
ぶんか
Romaji: bunka
culture; civilization; civilisation
In Japanese, culture 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 “culture”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 教養 | きょうよう kyouyou | (understanding or appreciation of) culture; (one's) education; cultivation |
| 文明 | ぶんめい bunmei | civilization; civilisation; culture |
| 教育 | きょういく kyouiku | culture; cultivation; education |
| 培養 | ばいよう baiyou | culture; cultivation |
| 養殖 | ようしょく youshoku | aquaculture; culture; cultivation |
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 |
See also: Chinese symbol for “culture”.
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.