Japanese symbol for “dance”
舞踏
ぶとう
Romaji: butou
dance (esp. Western style); dancing
In Japanese, dance is 舞踏, read ぶとう (butou).
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, vi, vs dance (esp. Western style); dancing
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “dance”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 舞う | まう mau | to dance (orig. a whirling dance) |
| 踊り | おどり odori | dancing; dance |
| ダンス | ダンス dansu | dance; dancing |
| 舞 | まい mai | dancing; dance |
| 踊る | おどる odoru | to dance (orig. a hopping dance) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 舞台 | ぶたい butai | stage (of a theatre, concert hall, etc.) |
| 歌舞伎 | かぶき kabuki | kabuki; traditional form of drama and music performed by male actors wearing makeup mainly in white and red |
| 見舞い | みまい mimai | visit (to someone affected by illness or misfortune); call; inquiry (about someone's health) |
| 舞う | まう mau | to dance (orig. a whirling dance) |
| 舞踊 | ぶよう buyou | dancing; dance |
| 踏切 | ふみきり fumikiri | railway crossing; railroad crossing; train crossing |
| 踏む | ふむ fumu | to step on; to tread on; to trample on |
| 足踏み | あしぶみ ashibumi | stepping (in place); stamping (up and down); stomping |
See also: Chinese symbol for “dance”.
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.