Japanese symbol for “democracy”
民主
みんしゅ
Romaji: minshu
democracy; popular sovereignty
In Japanese, democracy is 民主, read みんしゅ (minshu).
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 democracy; popular sovereignty
- n Democratic Party of Japan (1998-2016)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “democracy”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| デモクラシー | デモクラシー demokurashii | democracy |
| 民主主義 | みんしゅしゅぎ minshushugi | democracy |
| 平民主義 | へいみんしゅぎ heiminshugi | democracy |
| 民権主義 | みんけんしゅぎ minkenshugi | democracy (as propounded by Sun Yat-sen) |
| 民主国家 | みんしゅこっか minshukokka | democracy; democratic nation |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 国民 | こくみん kokumin | people (of a country); nation; citizen |
| 市民 | しみん shimin | citizen (of a country); citizenry |
| 住民 | じゅうみん juumin | inhabitant; resident; citizen |
| 民間 | みんかん minkan | private; non-governmental; non-official |
| 民族 | みんぞく minzoku | people; race; nation |
| 主義 | しゅぎ shugi | doctrine; rule; principle |
| 主張 | しゅちょう shuchou | claim; insistence; assertion |
| 主催 | しゅさい shusai | sponsorship (i.e. conducting under one's auspices); promotion; organizing |
See also: Chinese symbol for “democracy”.
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.