Japanese symbol for “paragon”
手本
てほん
Romaji: tehon
model; (good) example; exemplar; paragon
In Japanese, paragon is 手本, read てほん (tehon).
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 model; (good) example; exemplar; paragon
- n model handwriting; model drawing; copybook
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “paragon”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 鑑 | かがみ kagami | model; pattern; paragon |
| お手本 | おてほん otehon | model; (good) example; exemplar |
| 師範 | しはん shihan | model; exemplar; pattern |
| 鏡鑑 | きょうかん kyoukan | paragon; mirror |
| 亀鑑 | きかん kikan | pattern; example; model |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 相手 | あいて aite | companion; partner; company |
| 選手 | せんしゅ senshu | player (of a sport); athlete; team member |
| 手段 | しゅだん shudan | means; way; method |
| 手術 | しゅじゅつ shujutsu | surgery; operation; procedure |
| 大手 | おおて oote | major company; big company |
| 手紙 | てがみ tegami | letter; note |
| 日本 | にほん nihon | Japan |
| 基本 | きほん kihon | basics; fundamentals; basis |
See also: Chinese symbol for “paragon”.
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.