Japanese symbol for “nirvana”
彼岸
ひがん
Romaji: higan
equinoctial week (when Buddhist services are held)
In Japanese, nirvana is 彼岸, read ひがん (higan).
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 equinoctial week (when Buddhist services are held)
- n Buddhist services during the equinoctial week
- n nirvana (Buddh)
- n opposite bank; opposite shore; shore on the other side
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “nirvana”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 涅槃 | ねはん nehan | nirvana; supreme enlightenment |
| 寂 | じゃく jaku | (entering into) nirvana |
| 醍醐 | だいご daigo | ghee (held to be the greatest of all flavours); the ultimate truth of Buddhism; nirvana |
| ニルヴァーナ | ニルヴァーナ niruvaana | nirvana |
| 滅 | めつ metsu | nirvana; cessation (of earthly desires); death (esp. of the Buddha or a high monk) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 彼女 | かのじょ kanojo | she; her |
| 彼ら | かれら karera | they; them |
| 彼氏 | かれし kareshi | boyfriend |
| 彼方 | かなた kanata | beyond; across; the other side |
| 海岸 | かいがん kaigan | seashore; coast; seaside |
| 沿岸 | えんがん engan | coast; shore |
| 湾岸 | わんがん wangan | gulf coast; bay coast |
| 岸辺 | きしべ kishibe | shore; bank (of a body of water) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “nirvana”.
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.