Japanese symbol for “vermillion”
朱
しゅ
Romaji: shu
vermillion (colour); cinnabar; red orange
In Japanese, vermillion is 朱, read しゅ (shu).
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 vermillion (colour); cinnabar; red orange
- n vermillion (pigment)
- n cinnabar ink stick
- n correction written in red ink
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 朱印 | しゅいん shuin | red seal |
| 御朱印 | ごしゅいん goshuin | goshuin; seal stamp given to worshippers and visitors to shrines and temples |
| 朱雀 | すざく suzaku | Vermilion Bird (god said to rule over the southern heavens) |
| 朱色 | しゅいろ shuiro | vermilion (colour); cinnabar |
| 朱鷺 | じゅろ juro | Japanese crested ibis |
| 朱子学 | しゅしがく shushigaku | neo-Confucianism (based on the teachings of Zhu Xi); Cheng-Zhu school |
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.