Japanese symbol for “poetry”
詩
し
Romaji: shi
poem; poetry; verse
In Japanese, poetry is 詩, read し (shi).
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 poem; poetry; verse
- n Chinese poem
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “poetry”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 詩歌 | しいか shiika | poetry; poems |
| 歌学 | かがく kagaku | poetry; versification |
| ポエジー | ポエジー poejii | poetry |
| ポエトリー | ポエトリー poetorii | poetry |
| 韻文 | いんぶん inbun | verse; poetry |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 詩人 | しじん shijin | poet |
| 詩歌 | しいか shiika | Japanese and Chinese poetry |
| 詩集 | ししゅう shishuu | poetry anthology; collection of poems; collected poems |
| 叙事詩 | じょじし jojishi | epic (poem); epic poetry |
| 漢詩 | かんし kanshi | Chinese poem; Chinese poetry |
| 風物詩 | ふうぶつし fuubutsushi | feature of the season; something characteristic of a particular season |
See also: Chinese symbol for “poetry”.
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.