Japanese symbol for “watchdog”
番犬
ばんけん
Romaji: banken
watchdog; guard dog
In Japanese, watchdog is 番犬, read ばんけん (banken).
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 watchdog; guard dog
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “watchdog”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| お目付け役 | おめつけやく ometsukeyaku | watchdog; chaperone; watcher |
| ウォッチドッグ | ウォッチドッグ wotchidoggu | watchdog; guard dog |
| お目付け | おめつけ ometsuke | watchdog; chaperone; watcher |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一番 | いちばん ichiban | number one; first; first place |
| 番組 | ばんぐみ bangumi | program (e.g. TV); programme |
| 番号 | ばんごう bangou | number; series of digits |
| 本番 | ほんばん honban | performance (as opposed to practice); going before an audience or on-air; take |
| 順番 | じゅんばん junban | order; turn |
| 出番 | でばん deban | one's turn; one's shift |
| 愛犬 | あいけん aiken | pet dog; beloved dog |
| 飼い犬 | かいいぬ kaiinu | pet dog |
See also: Chinese symbol for “watchdog”.
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.