Japanese symbol for “john”

亡八

ぼうはち

Romaji: bouhachi

customer at a brothel; john; someone who has forgotten the eight virtues

In Japanese, john is 亡八, read ぼうはち (bouhachi).

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 customer at a brothel; john; someone who has forgotten the eight virtues
n brothel; owner of a brothel

Written forms: 亡八、忘八. Readings: ぼうはち.

Kanji and stroke order

亡

deceased, the late, dying

on: ボウ、モウ
kun: な.い、な.き-、ほろ.びる、ほろ.ぶ

3 strokes · JLPT 2

八

eight, eight radical (no. 12)

on: ハチ、ハツ
kun: や、や.つ、やっ.つ、よう

2 strokes · JLPT 4

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
死亡	しぼう shibou	death; dying; mortality
亡命	ぼうめい boumei	fleeing from one's country; seeking asylum; defection
滅亡	めつぼう metsubou	downfall; ruin; collapse
逃亡	とうぼう toubou	escape; flight; running away
亡霊	ぼうれい bourei	departed spirit; soul of the dead
未亡人	みぼうじん miboujin	widow
八幡	はちまん hachiman	Hachiman (god of war)
八百屋	やおや yaoya	greengrocer; fruit and vegetable shop

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.