Japanese symbol for “popular”
盛ん
さかん
Romaji: sakan
prosperous; flourishing; thriving; successful
In Japanese, popular is 盛ん, read さかん (sakan).
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
- adj-na prosperous; flourishing; thriving; successful
- adj-na popular; widespread
- adj-na active; lively; energetic; vigorous; brisk; strong
- adj-na enthusiastic; eager; hearty; frequent; repeated
Written forms: 盛ん、旺ん、壮ん. Readings: さかん.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “popular”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 民間 | みんかん minkan | folk; popular |
| ポピュラー | ポピュラー popyuraa | popular; well-liked |
| 通俗 | つうぞく tsuuzoku | popular; common |
| ポップ | ポップ poppu | pop; popular; fashionable |
| 庶民的 | しょみんてき shominteki | popular; folksy; plebeian |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 盛り | さかり sakari | height (e.g. of summer); peak (e.g. of cherry blossom season); (in) season |
| 盛大 | せいだい seidai | grand; magnificent; lavish |
| 繁盛 | はんじょう hanjou | prosperity; flourishing; thriving |
| 盛る | もる moru | to serve (in a bowl, on a plate, etc.); to dish out; to dish up |
| 旺盛 | おうせい ousei | lively; vigorous; energetic |
See also: Chinese symbol for “popular”.
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.