Japanese symbol for “papacy”

法王権

ほうおうけん

Romaji: hououken

the papacy

In Japanese, papacy is 法王権, read ほうおうけん (hououken).

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 the papacy

Kanji and stroke order

法

method, law, rule

on: ホウ、ハッ、ホッ、フラン
kun: のり

8 strokes · JLPT 2

王

king, rule, magnate

on: オウ、-ノウ

4 strokes · JLPT 2

権

authority, power, rights

on: ケン、ゴン
kun: おもり、かり、はか.る

15 strokes · JLPT 2

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
方法	ほうほう houhou	method; way; manner
法律	ほうりつ houritsu	law; legislation; act
法人	ほうじん houjin	corporation; corporate body; company
憲法	けんぽう kenpou	constitution
司法	しほう shihou	administration of justice; judicature
違法	いほう ihou	illegal; illicit; unlawful
王子	おうじ ouji	prince
女王	じょおう joou	queen; female monarch; female sovereign
権利	けんり kenri	right; privilege

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.