The Kanji at a Glance
Japan is not written with one kanji. It takes two, and together they say something quite literal.
- 日 means sun or day. Four strokes. On’yomi NICHI and JITSU, kun’yomi hi and ka.
- 本 means origin, root, or book. Five strokes. On’yomi HON, kun’yomi moto.
- 日本 is read nihon or nippon. Nine strokes total.
- Core meaning: Japan, literally “sun origin,” the place the sun comes from.
The name dates to the seventh century, when the court began describing itself to the Chinese mainland as the country to the east where the sun rises. The English word “Japan” travelled a long way from the same two characters, arriving through Chinese dialect readings and Portuguese traders.
Meaning and Nuance
Both readings are correct and both are current. Nihon is the everyday one, used in ordinary conversation and most compounds. Nippon is harder, older, and more emphatic, which is why it turns up on banknotes and postage stamps, in the names of national institutions, and in the chant of a stadium crowd. Neither is nationalist by default, but nippon carries more weight and more formality.
- 日本語 (nihongo) is the Japanese language.
- 日本人 (nihonjin) is a Japanese person.
- 日本刀 (nihontou) is a Japanese sword, the whole category that includes the katana.
- 日本酒 (nihonshu) is sake, or more precisely Japanese rice wine, since sake in Japanese just means alcohol generally.
The character 本 doing the work here is the same 本 that means book, which confuses learners constantly. The link is the original sense of root or origin: a book is the root of knowledge, and the base of a tree trunk is its 本. The horizontal stroke near the bottom of 木 (tree) marks exactly that spot.
As a Tattoo
日本 is a clear, honest, two-character piece with no hidden meaning and no bad reading. What you see is what it says: Japan.
Consider what that actually communicates. To a Japanese reader, a foreigner wearing 日本 reads roughly the way a stranger wearing the name of your country would read to you. It is not offensive, and people are generally warm about it, but it is a statement of affection for a place rather than a statement of philosophy. If you want something that says why you love Japan, a concept character or a phrase will do more work.
There is no script problem to worry about. Both characters are written identically in Japanese and simplified Chinese, though in Chinese 日本 is read Rìběn.
For placement, two characters give you a real layout choice. Stacked vertically with 日 above 本 is the traditional arrangement and reads naturally to a Japanese eye. Horizontally, left to right, is also standard in modern Japan. Both work. The vertical stack suits the spine, the forearm, and the outer calf. The horizontal suits the collarbone and the ribs.
Neither character has a dangerous look-alike, but 日 and 目 (me, eye) differ by one internal stroke, and 本 and 木 (ki, tree) differ by the small horizontal bar near the base. Check the stencil.
Confirm with a native speaker before you ink. Set the pair in vertical and horizontal layouts with the Japanese Tattoo Generator, and read the wider background in our guide to japanese tattoo meanings.
Related Kanji
FAQ
What is the kanji for Japan?
Japan is written 日本, two kanji rather than one. 日 means sun and 本 means origin or root, so the name literally reads “sun origin,” the source of the sun. It is read nihon or nippon.
Is it nihon or nippon?
Both are correct. Nihon is the common everyday reading. Nippon is more formal and emphatic, appearing on currency, stamps, official organization names, and in sports chants. There is no rule that fully separates them, and Japanese speakers switch by feel and context.
Why is Japan called the land of the rising sun?
Because that is what the name says. When the Yamato court corresponded with China in the seventh century, it described itself as the land to the east where the sun originates, and 日本 stuck. The rising sun on the national flag comes from the same idea.
Can I write Japan with a single kanji?
Not properly. 和 (wa) is used as a shorthand for things Japanese, as in 和食 washoku for Japanese cuisine and 和紙 washi for Japanese paper, and it carries the added meanings of harmony and peace. But 和 alone does not mean the country. The name of the country is 日本.