Japanese symbol for “dharma”
法
ほう
Romaji: hou
law; act; principle
In Japanese, dharma is 法, read ほう (hou).
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, n-suf law; act; principle
- n, n-suf method
- n, n-suf mood (gramm)
- n, n-suf dharma; law (Buddh)
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 方法 | ほうほう houhou | method; way; manner |
| 法律 | ほうりつ houritsu | law; legislation; act |
| 法人 | ほうじん houjin | corporation; corporate body; company |
| 憲法 | けんぽう kenpou | constitution |
| 司法 | しほう shihou | administration of justice; judicature |
| 違法 | いほう ihou | illegal; illicit; unlawful |
See also: Chinese symbol for “dharma”.
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.