Japanese symbol for “priest”
僧侶
そうりょ
Romaji: souryo
priest; monk; bonze
In Japanese, priest is 僧侶, read そうりょ (souryo).
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 priest; monk; bonze (Buddh)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “priest”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 司祭 | しさい shisai | priest; minister; pastor |
| 神官 | しんかん shinkan | (Shinto) priest |
| 僧 | そう sou | monk; priest |
| 祭司 | さいし saishi | priest |
| 祭主 | さいしゅ saishu | (head) priest; head priest of the Ise Shrine |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 小僧 | こぞう kozou | youngster; boy; kid |
| 尼僧 | にそう nisou | Buddhist nun |
| 高僧 | こうそう kousou | high priest; highly ranked priest |
| 僧院 | そういん souin | monastery; temple |
| 禅僧 | ぜんそう zensou | Zen priest |
| 伴侶 | はんりょ hanryo | companion; partner; spouse |
| 侶伴 | りょはん ryohan | companion |
| 同侶 | どうりょ douryo | companion; friend |
See also: Chinese symbol for “priest”.
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.