Japanese symbol for “elegy”
挽歌
ばんか
Romaji: banka
elegy; funeral song
In Japanese, elegy is 挽歌, read ばんか (banka).
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 elegy; funeral song
Written forms: 挽歌、輓歌. Readings: ばんか.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “elegy”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 悲歌 | ひか hika | elegy; dirge; mournful melody |
| エレジー | エレジー erejii | elegy |
| 哀歌 | あいか aika | lament (song); elegy; dirge |
| 哀詩 | あいし aishi | elegy |
| 弔歌 | ちょうか chouka | elegy; dirge |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 挽回 | ばんかい bankai | recovery; regaining; getting back |
| 挽く | ひく hiku | to saw |
| 挽物 | ひきもの hikimono | turned article; lathe work |
| 合い挽き | あいびき aibiki | (mixture of) ground beef and pork |
| 木挽き | こびき kobiki | sawyer |
| 歌手 | かしゅ kashu | singer |
| 歌う | うたう utau | to sing |
| 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 |
See also: Chinese symbol for “elegy”.
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.