Japanese symbol for “literature”
文学
ぶんがく
Romaji: bungaku
literature
In Japanese, literature is 文学, read ぶんがく (bungaku).
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 literature
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “literature”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 文芸 | ぶんげい bungei | literature |
| 文献 | ぶんけん bunken | literature; books (reference); document |
| 詩文 | しぶん shibun | poetry and prose; literature; literary works |
| 文 | ぶん bun | the literary arts (as opposed to the military arts); academia; literature |
| エクリチュール | エクリチュール ekurichuuru | literature; writing; written work |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 文化 | ぶんか bunka | culture; civilization; civilisation |
| 文字 | もじ moji | letter (of an alphabet); character |
| 注文 | ちゅうもん chuumon | order (for an item) |
| 文書 | ぶんしょ bunsho | document; writing; letter |
| 文章 | ぶんしょう bunshou | writing; composition; essay |
| 論文 | ろんぶん ronbun | thesis; essay; treatise |
| 学校 | がっこう gakkou | school |
| 大学 | だいがく daigaku | university; college |
See also: Chinese symbol for “literature”.
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.