Japanese symbol for “ternary”
三元
さんげん
Romaji: sangen
15th day of the 1st, 7th and 10th lunar months
In Japanese, ternary is 三元, read さんげん (sangen).
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 15th day of the 1st, 7th and 10th lunar months
- n heaven, earth and man
- n January 1; New Year's Day
- adj-f ternary (chem)
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 三つ | みっつ mittsu | three |
| 三角 | さんかく sankaku | triangle; triangular shape |
| 第三者 | だいさんしゃ daisansha | third party; third person; outsider |
| 再三 | さいさん saisan | again and again; repeatedly |
| 三角形 | さんかくけい sankakukei | triangle |
| 三振 | さんしん sanshin | strikeout |
| 元気 | げんき genki | lively; full of spirit; energetic |
| 地元 | じもと jimoto | home area; home town |
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.