Japanese symbol for “essay”
文章
ぶんしょう
Romaji: bunshou
writing; composition; essay; article
In Japanese, essay is 文章, read ぶんしょう (bunshou).
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 writing; composition; essay; article; passage; prose
- n sentence
Written forms: 文章. Readings: ぶんしょう、もんじょう、もんぞう.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “essay”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 論文 | ろんぶん ronbun | thesis; essay; treatise |
| エッセイ | エッセイ essei | essay |
| 小品 | しょうひん shouhin | short piece (of music, writing); small work (painting, sculpture, etc.); literary sketch |
| 論 | ろん ron | essay; treatise; comment |
| 試論 | しろん shiron | essay; tentative assumption |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 文化 | ぶんか bunka | culture; civilization; civilisation |
| 文字 | もじ moji | letter (of an alphabet); character |
| 注文 | ちゅうもん chuumon | order (for an item) |
| 文書 | ぶんしょ bunsho | document; writing; letter |
| 論文 | ろんぶん ronbun | thesis; essay; treatise |
| 勲章 | くんしょう kunshou | decoration; order; medal |
| 紋章 | もんしょう monshou | crest; coat of arms |
| 憲章 | けんしょう kenshou | charter |
See also: Chinese symbol for “essay”.
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.