Japanese symbol for “formosa”
蓬莱
ほうらい
Romaji: hourai
Mount Penglai; Penglai Island; enchanted land of perpetual youth from Chinese mythology
In Japanese, formosa is 蓬莱, read ほうらい (hourai).
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 Mount Penglai; Penglai Island; enchanted land of perpetual youth from Chinese mythology (chmyth)
- n sacred mountain (e.g. Mount Fuji, Mount Kumano, etc.)
- n Kansai New Year decoration (made from food)
- n Formosa; Taiwan
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 蓬生 | よもぎう yomogiu | wasteland; area overgrown with weeds |
| 弊衣蓬髪 | へいいほうはつ heiihouhatsu | unkempt hair and shabby clothes |
| 蓬頭垢面 | ほうとうこうめん houtoukoumen | (with) unkempt hair and dirty face; being indifferent to one's personal appearance |
| 大蓬 | おおよもぎ ooyomogi | Artemisia montana |
| 山蓬 | やまよもぎ yamayomogi | Artemisia montana |
| 蓬莱羊歯 | ほうらいしだ houraishida | Southern maidenhair fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris); black maidenhair fern; Venus hair fern |
| 三蓬莱 | さんほうらい sanhourai | the three sacred mountains: Fuji, Atsuta, and Kumano |
| 蓬莱飾り | ほうらいかざり houraikazari | Kansai New Year decoration (made from food) |
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.