Japanese symbol for “traditional”
旧来
きゅうらい
Romaji: kyuurai
traditional; from ancient times; formerly
In Japanese, traditional is 旧来, read きゅうらい (kyuurai).
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
- adj-no, adv, n traditional; from ancient times; formerly
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “traditional”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 従来 | じゅうらい juurai | traditional; conventional; usual |
| 正統 | せいとう seitou | legitimate; orthodox; traditional |
| トラッド | トラッド toraddo | traditional (esp. fashion); trad |
| 伝統的 | でんとうてき dentouteki | traditional; customary; conventional |
| 昔ながら | むかしながら mukashinagara | unchanged (from long ago); as it was in the past; same old |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 復旧 | ふっきゅう fukkyuu | restoration; restitution; rehabilitation |
| 旧式 | きゅうしき kyuushiki | old type; old style |
| 新旧 | しんきゅう shinkyuu | new and old; incoming and outgoing |
| 旧約 | きゅうやく kyuuyaku | old promise; old agreement; old covenant |
| 旧暦 | きゅうれき kyuureki | Japan's old (lunisolar) calendar |
| 未来 | みらい mirai | (distant) future |
| 出来る | できる dekiru | to be able to do; to be possible; to be permitted (to do) |
| 以来 | いらい irai | since; henceforth |
See also: Chinese symbol for “traditional”.
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.