Japanese symbol for “rightful”

本来

ほんらい

Romaji: honrai

originally; primarily

In Japanese, rightful is 本来, read ほんらい (honrai).

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-no, adv, n originally; primarily
adj-no, adv, n essentially; intrinsically; naturally; by nature; in (and of) itself
adj-no, n proper; rightful; legal; normal

Kanji and stroke order

本

book, present, main

on: ホン
kun: もと

5 strokes · JLPT 4

来

come, due, next

on: ライ、タイ
kun: く.る、きた.る、きた.す、き.たす

7 strokes · JLPT 4

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
日本	にほん nihon	Japan
基本	きほん kihon	basics; fundamentals; basis
本当	ほんとう hontou	truth; reality; actuality
本人	ほんにん honnin	the person in question; the person themselves; said person
本気	ほんき honki	seriousness; earnestness; truth
未来	みらい mirai	(distant) future
出来る	できる dekiru	to be able to do; to be possible; to be permitted (to do)
以来	いらい irai	since; henceforth

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.