Japanese symbol for “second”
秒
びょう
Romaji: byou
second (unit of time)
In Japanese, second is 秒, read びょう (byou).
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 second (unit of time)
- n arc second
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “second”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 瞬間 | しゅんかん shunkan | moment; instant; second |
| 乙 | おつ otsu | (the) second (party, rank, etc.); B (grade); the latter |
| 後者 | こうしゃ kousha | the latter; the second |
| 助っ人 | すけっと suketto | helper; supporter; second |
| セカンド | セカンド sekando | second |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 秒読み | びょうよみ byouyomi | countdown |
| 秒速 | びょうそく byousoku | speed per second; velocity per second |
| 毎秒 | まいびょう maibyou | every second |
| 秒針 | びょうしん byoushin | second hand (of clock) |
| 分秒 | ふんびょう funbyou | moment |
| 一秒 | いちびょう ichibyou | one second |
See also: Chinese symbol for “second”.
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.