Japanese symbol for “essence”
本質
ほんしつ
Romaji: honshitsu
essence; true nature; substance; reality
In Japanese, essence is 本質, read ほんしつ (honshitsu).
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
- adj-no, n essence; true nature; substance; reality
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “essence”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 実質 | じっしつ jisshitsu | substance; essence |
| 真髄 | しんずい shinzui | essence; quintessence; spirit |
| 実体 | じったい jittai | substance; essence; entity |
| 精神 | せいしん seishin | spirit (of a matter); essence; fundamental significance |
| 精華 | せいか seika | essence; quintessence; flower |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 日本 | にほん nihon | Japan |
| 基本 | きほん kihon | basics; fundamentals; basis |
| 本当 | ほんとう hontou | truth; reality; actuality |
| 本人 | ほんにん honnin | the person in question; the person themselves; said person |
| 本来 | ほんらい honrai | originally; primarily |
| 本気 | ほんき honki | seriousness; earnestness; truth |
| 質問 | しつもん shitsumon | question; inquiry; enquiry |
| 物質 | ぶっしつ busshitsu | material; substance |
See also: Chinese symbol for “essence”.
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.