Japanese symbol for “shibuya”

渋谷

しぶや

Romaji: shibuya

Shibuya City (special ward of Tokyo); Shibuya

In Japanese, shibuya is 渋谷, read しぶや (shibuya).

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 Shibuya City (special ward of Tokyo); Shibuya

Written forms: 渋谷、澁谷. Readings: しぶや.

Kanji and stroke order

渋

astringent, hesitate, reluctant

on: ジュウ、シュウ
kun: しぶ、しぶ.い、しぶ.る

11 strokes · JLPT 1

谷

valley

on: コク
kun: たに、きわ.まる

7 strokes · JLPT 2

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
渋滞	じゅうたい juutai	(traffic) congestion; traffic jam; gridlock
渋い	しぶい shibui	astringent; bitter; puckery
苦渋	くじゅう kujuu	bitterness; distress; pain
渋る	しぶる shiburu	to be reluctant (to do); to be unwilling (to do); to hesitate (to do)
渋柿	しぶがき shibugaki	astringent persimmon
谷川	たにがわ tanigawa	mountain stream
谷間	たにま tanima	valley; ravine; gorge
渓谷	けいこく keikoku	valley (with a river running through it); gorge; ravine

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.