Japanese symbol for “existence”
存在
そんざい
Romaji: sonzai
existence; being; presence
In Japanese, existence is 存在, read そんざい (sonzai).
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, vi, vs existence; being; presence
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “existence”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 生存 | せいぞん seizon | existence; being; life |
| 有 | ゆう yuu | existence |
| 生命 | せいめい seimei | life; existence |
| 存立 | そんりつ sonritsu | existence; subsistence |
| 実存 | じつぞん jitsuzon | existence |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 保存 | ほぞん hozon | preservation; conservation; storage |
| ご存知 | ごぞんじ gozonji | knowing; being aware (of) |
| 生存 | せいぞん seizon | existence; being; life |
| 共存 | きょうぞん kyouzon | coexistence |
| 依存 | いぞん izon | dependence; reliance |
| 現在 | げんざい genzai | the present; present time; now |
| 滞在 | たいざい taizai | stay; sojourn |
| 在日 | ざいにち zainichi | resident in Japan (of a foreigner); situated in Japan (e.g. of an embassy) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “existence”.
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.
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