Japanese symbol for “townspeople”
市民
しみん
Romaji: shimin
citizen (of a country); citizenry
In Japanese, townspeople is 市民, read しみん (shimin).
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 citizen (of a country); citizenry
- n citizen (of a city); resident; inhabitant; townspeople
- n bourgeoisie; middle class
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “townspeople”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 町民 | ちょうみん choumin | townsman; townswoman; resident of a town |
| 町人 | ちょうにん chounin | chōnin (Edo-period social class of town-dwelling commoners, esp. landowning merchants); townspeople; townsfolk |
| 市井の人 | しせいのひと shiseinohito | townspeople |
| 市井の臣 | しせいのしん shiseinoshin | townspeople; the common people |
| 都人士 | とじんし tojinshi | city dweller; townspeople |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 都市 | とし toshi | town; city; municipal |
| 市場 | いちば ichiba | (town) market; (street) market; marketplace |
| 市内 | しない shinai | in the city; within the city |
| 市長 | しちょう shichou | mayor |
| 国民 | こくみん kokumin | people (of a country); nation; citizen |
| 住民 | じゅうみん juumin | inhabitant; resident; citizen |
| 民間 | みんかん minkan | private; non-governmental; non-official |
| 民主 | みんしゅ minshu | democracy; popular sovereignty |
See also: Chinese symbol for “townspeople”.
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.