Japanese symbol for “paints”
丹青
たんせい
Romaji: tansei
red and blue
In Japanese, paints is 丹青, read たんせい (tansei).
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 red and blue
- n paints; colors
- n painting; picture
Written forms: 丹青. Readings: たんせい、たんぜい.
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 丹精 | たんせい tansei | working earnestly; sincerity; diligence |
| 丹念 | たんねん tannen | painstaking; careful; meticulous |
| 牡丹 | ぼたん botan | tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa); moutan |
| 丹波 | たんば tanba | Tanba (former province located in parts of present-day Kyoto, Hyogo and Osaka prefectures) |
| 伊勢丹 | いせたん isetan | Isetan (department store) |
| 丹後 | たんご tango | Tango (former province located in the north of present-day Kyoto Prefecture) |
| 青年 | せいねん seinen | youth; young man |
| 青春 | せいしゅん seishun | youth; adolescence; springtime of life |
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.