Japanese symbol for “history”
歴史
れきし
Romaji: rekishi
history
In Japanese, history is 歴史, read れきし (rekishi).
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 history
Written forms: 歴史、歷史. Readings: れきし.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “history”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 由緒 | ゆいしょ yuisho | history; pedigree; lineage |
| 由来 | ゆらい yurai | origin; source; history |
| 史 | し shi | history |
| 記 | き ki | account; history; chronicle |
| 沿革 | えんかく enkaku | history; development |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 経歴 | けいれき keireki | personal history; background; career |
| 学歴 | がくれき gakureki | academic background; academic credentials; academic record |
| 歴代 | れきだい rekidai | successive generations; successive emperors |
| 履歴 | りれき rireki | personal history; background; career |
| 歴任 | れきにん rekinin | successive jobs; consecutive jobs |
| 史上 | しじょう shijou | in history; ever; historical |
| 史料 | しりょう shiryou | historical materials; historical records; historical sources |
| 女史 | じょし joshi | lady (of high social status; e.g. scholar, artist, critic, politician) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “history”.
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.