Japanese symbol for “sonny”
坊主
ぼうず
Romaji: bouzu
Buddhist priest; bonze
In Japanese, sonny is 坊主, read ぼうず (bouzu).
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 Buddhist priest; bonze
- n close-cropped hair; crew cut; person with a shorn head
- n boy; sonny; lad
- n not catching anything; getting skunked (fish)
- n the August 20-point card (hanaf)
Written forms: 坊主、房主. Readings: ぼうず、ぼんず.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “sonny”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 兄ちゃん | にいちゃん niichan | young man; sonny; lad |
| 坊 | ぼう bou | boy; son; sonny |
| お兄ちゃん | おにいちゃん oniichan | lad; sonny |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 赤ん坊 | あかんぼう akanbou | baby; infant |
| 坊さん | ぼうさん bousan | Buddhist priest; monk |
| 坊ちゃん | ぼっちゃん botchan | (another's) son; boy; young master |
| 坊や | ぼうや bouya | boy; son; child |
| 本因坊 | ほんいんぼう hon'inbou | Hon'inbō; Honinbo; grandmaster |
| 主義 | しゅぎ shugi | doctrine; rule; principle |
| 主張 | しゅちょう shuchou | claim; insistence; assertion |
| 民主 | みんしゅ minshu | democracy; popular sovereignty |
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.