Japanese symbol for “primary”
原発
げんぱつ
Romaji: genpatsu
nuclear power plant; nuclear power generation
In Japanese, primary is 原発, read げんぱつ (genpatsu).
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 nuclear power plant; nuclear power generation
- adj-no, n, vs primary (e.g. primary immunodeficiency syndrome)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “primary”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 主たる | しゅたる shutaru | main; principal; chief |
| 予選 | よせん yosen | preliminary selection; screening (e.g. of applicants); provisional election |
| 原 | げん gen | original; primitive; primary |
| 初等 | しょとう shotou | elementary; primary |
| プライマリ | プライマリ puraimari | primary |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 原因 | げんいん gen'in | cause; origin; source |
| 原作 | げんさく gensaku | original work |
| 原則 | げんそく gensoku | principle; general rule |
| 原子力 | げんしりょく genshiryoku | atomic energy; nuclear power |
| 原理 | げんり genri | principle; theory; fundamental truth |
| 原稿 | げんこう genkou | manuscript; copy; draft |
| 発売 | はつばい hatsubai | sale; offering for sale; putting on sale |
| 発表 | はっぴょう happyou | announcement; publication; presenting |
See also: Chinese symbol for “primary”.
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.