Japanese symbol for “reference”
参考
さんこう
Romaji: sankou
reference; consultation
In Japanese, reference is 参考, read さんこう (sankou).
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 reference; consultation
Written forms: 参考、參考. Readings: さんこう.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “reference”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 参照 | さんしょう sanshou | reference (e.g. to a dictionary, passage, footnotes); consultation; comparison |
| 言及 | げんきゅう genkyuu | reference; allusion |
| 引用 | いんよう in'you | quotation; citation; reference |
| 検索 | けんさく kensaku | looking up (e.g. a word in a dictionary); search (e.g. on the Internet); retrieval (of information) |
| 目安 | めやす meyasu | criterion; standard; yardstick |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 参加 | さんか sanka | participation; joining; entry |
| 参照 | さんしょう sanshou | reference (e.g. to a dictionary, passage, footnotes); consultation; comparison |
| 参議院 | さんぎいん sangiin | House of Councillors (upper house of the National Diet of Japan) |
| 参戦 | さんせん sansen | participation in a war; going to war |
| 持参 | じさん jisan | bringing; taking; carrying |
| 考え | かんがえ kangae | thinking; thought; view |
| 考える | かんがえる kangaeru | to think (about, of); to think over; to ponder |
| 思考 | しこう shikou | thought; consideration; thinking |
See also: Chinese symbol for “reference”.
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.