Japanese symbol for “forme”

活版

かっぱん

Romaji: kappan

form (of type); forme

In Japanese, forme is 活版, read かっぱん (kappan).

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 form (of type); forme (print)
n letterpress printing; movable-type printing

Kanji and stroke order

活

lively, resuscitation, being helped

on: カツ
kun: い.きる、い.かす、い.ける

9 strokes · JLPT 2

版

printing block, printing plate, edition

on: ハン

8 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “forme”

Word	Reading	Meaning
原版	げんぱん genpan	form (printing); forme; typesetting plate
組版	くみはん kumihan	form; forme

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
生活	せいかつ seikatsu	life; living
活動	かつどう katsudou	activity (of a person, organization, animal, volcano, etc.); action; operation
活躍	かつやく katsuyaku	activity (esp. energetic or successful); great efforts; active participation
復活	ふっかつ fukkatsu	revival (of an old system, custom, fashion, etc.); restoration; return
活用	かつよう katsuyou	practical use; application; making good use of
活発	かっぱつ kappatsu	lively; active; vigorous
出版	しゅっぱん shuppan	publication
版画	はんが hanga	woodcut; woodblock print; art print

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.