Japanese symbol for “venerable”
翁
おきな
Romaji: okina
old man; venerable gentleman
In Japanese, venerable is 翁, read おきな (okina).
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 old man; venerable gentleman
- suf venerable; old; father
Written forms: 翁. Readings: おきな、おう.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “venerable”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 上 | うえ ue | honorable; venerable; dear |
| 尊者 | そんしゃ sonsha | Venerable |
| 上人 | しょうにん shounin | reverend; venerable |
| 由緒ある | ゆいしょある yuishoaru | venerable; prestigious; with a long history |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 塞翁が馬 | さいおうがうま saiougauma | the future is unpredictable; inscrutable are the ways of heaven; the irony of fate |
| 老翁 | ろうおう rouou | old man |
| 信天翁 | あほうどり ahoudori | albatross (esp. the short-tailed albatross, Phoebastria albatrus) |
| 不倒翁 | ふとうおう futouou | tumbler; self-righting doll |
| 翁貝 | おきながい okinagai | lantern shell |
See also: Chinese symbol for “venerable”.
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.