Japanese symbol for “eloquence”
弁
べん
Romaji: ben
speech; tongue; talk; eloquence
In Japanese, eloquence is 弁, read べん (ben).
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 speech; tongue; talk; eloquence
- n-suf dialect; brogue; accent
- n bento; Japanese box lunch
- n petal
- n valve
- n Oversight Department; division of the daijokan under the ritsuryō system responsible for controlling central and provincial governmental offices
Written forms: 弁、辯、瓣、辨. Readings: べん.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “eloquence”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 雄弁 | ゆうべん yuuben | eloquence; fluency (of speech) |
| 弁舌 | べんぜつ benzetsu | speech; eloquence; manner of speaking |
| 口利き | くちきき kuchikiki | eloquence; eloquent person |
| 立て板に水 | たていたにみず tateitanimizu | eloquence; volubility; (like) water on a standing board |
| 能弁 | のうべん nouben | eloquence; oratory |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 弁護士 | べんごし bengoshi | lawyer; attorney |
| 弁当 | べんとう bentou | bento; Japanese box lunch |
| 弁護 | べんご bengo | defense; defence; pleading |
| 答弁 | とうべん touben | response; reply; answer |
| 弁明 | べんめい benmei | explanation; excuse; clarification |
| 弁論 | べんろん benron | discussion; debate; argument |
See also: Chinese symbol for “eloquence”.
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.