Japanese symbol for “universal”
一般
いっぱん
Romaji: ippan
general; universal
In Japanese, universal is 一般, read いっぱん (ippan).
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, n general; universal
- adj-no, n ordinary; average; common; non-celebrity
- adj-no, n the same; no different; (just) as if
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “universal”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 普遍 | ふへん fuhen | universal; general; ubiquitous |
| 万能 | ばんのう bannou | all-purpose; utility; universal |
| ユニバーサル | ユニバーサル yunibaasaru | universal |
| 万国 | ばんこく bankoku | all countries; the whole world; universal |
| 普遍的 | ふへんてき fuhenteki | universal; omnipresent; ubiquitous |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一緒 | いっしょ issho | (doing) together |
| 一番 | いちばん ichiban | number one; first; first place |
| 一つ | ひとつ hitotsu | one |
| 一部 | いちぶ ichibu | one part; one portion; one section |
| 一方 | いっぽう ippou | one (esp. of two); the other; one way |
| 全般 | ぜんぱん zenpan | (the) whole |
| 一般人 | いっぱんじん ippanjin | ordinary person; member of the general public; non-celebrity |
| 般若 | はんにゃ hannya | prajna (wisdom required to attain enlightenment) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “universal”.
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.