Japanese symbol for “references”
参考文献
さんこうぶんけん
Romaji: sankoubunken
works cited; references
In Japanese, references is 参考文献, read さんこうぶんけん (sankoubunken).
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 works cited; references
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “references”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 文献資料 | ぶんけんしりょう bunkenshiryou | reference materials; references; bibliographical sources |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 参加 | さんか sanka | participation; joining; entry |
| 参考 | さんこう sankou | reference; consultation |
| 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 |
| 文化 | ぶんか bunka | culture; civilization; civilisation |
| 貢献 | こうけん kouken | contribution (furthering a goal or cause); services (to a cause) |
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.