King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “fame”

Romaji: meiyo
honor; honour; credit; glory

In Japanese, fame is , read (meiyo).

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

  1. adj-na, n honor; honour; credit; glory; fame; distinction
  2. n prestige; dignity; reputation; honor; good name
  3. n-pref honorary (e.g. president, doctorate)

Kanji and stroke order

name, noted, distinguished
on: メイ、ミョウ
kun: な、-な
6 strokes · JLPT 4
reputation, praise, honor
on: ヨ
kun: ほま.れ、ほ.める
13 strokes · JLPT 1

Other Japanese words for “fame”

WordReadingMeaning
めいせい meiseifame; reputation; renown
な nafame; renown; reputation
おと otofame
ひょうばん hyoubanfame; notoriety
えいめい eimeifame; glory; reputation

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
なまえ namaename
ゆうめい yuumeifamous; well-known
めいしょう meishouname; title
しょめい shomeisignature; autograph
ほんみょう honmyoureal name
えいよ eiyohonour; honor
ほまれ homarehonour; honor; glory
ふめいよ fumeiyodishonor; dishonour; disgrace

See also: Chinese symbol for “fame”.

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.