King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “sanctuary”

Romaji: seidou
(Confucian) temple; church; sanctuary

In Japanese, sanctuary is , read (seidou).

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

  1. n (Confucian) temple; church; sanctuary

Kanji and stroke order

holy, saint, sage
on: セイ、ショウ
kun: ひじり
13 strokes · JLPT 1
public chamber, hall
on: ドウ
11 strokes · JLPT 3

Other Japanese words for “sanctuary”

WordReadingMeaning
せいいき seiikisacred precincts; sanctuary; consecrated ground
しんでん shindentemple; shrine; sanctuary
サンクチュアリ sankuchuarisanctuary
でんどう dendoushrine; temple; sanctuary
ないじん naijininner sanctum; inner temple; inner shrine

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
せいしょ seishoBible; the Scriptures; Holy Writ
しんせい shinseiholiness; sacredness; sanctity
せいじん seijinsaint
せいち seichisacred place; holy ground; the Holy Land
せいぼ seibomother of a holy person
しょくどう shokudoudining room; dining hall; cafeteria
どうどう doudoumagnificent; grand; impressive
こうどう koudouauditorium; lecture hall

See also: Chinese symbol for “sanctuary”.

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.

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