Japanese symbol for “elliptical”
小判
こばん
Romaji: koban
koban; small oval gold coin used in the Edo period
In Japanese, elliptical is 小判, read こばん (koban).
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 koban; small oval gold coin used in the Edo period
- adj-no, n oval; elliptical; oblong
- n small size (of paper)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “elliptical”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 小判型 | こばんがた kobangata | oval; elliptical; oblong |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 小説 | しょうせつ shousetsu | novel; story; (work of) fiction |
| 小学校 | しょうがっこう shougakkou | primary school; elementary school; grade school |
| 小学生 | しょうがくせい shougakusei | elementary school student; primary school student; grade school student |
| 小型 | こがた kogata | small-sized; small-scale; miniature |
| 小さい | ちいさい chiisai | small; little; tiny |
| 縮小 | しゅくしょう shukushou | reduction; curtailment; cut |
| 判断 | はんだん handan | judgment; judgement; decision |
| 批判 | ひはん hihan | criticism; judgement; judgment |
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.