Japanese symbol for “novice”

In Japanese, novice is 素人, read しろうと (shirouto).

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

1. n amateur; layman; ordinary person; novice
2. n respectable woman (i.e. not a prostitute, hostess, geisha)
3. n unlicensed prostitute

Written forms: 素人. Readings: しろうと、しろと、しらびと.

Kanji and stroke order

↻ Replay stroke order

Other Japanese words for “novice”

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

See also: Chinese symbol for “novice”.

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.