The Japanese word for peace is 平和, read heiwa, and it takes two characters rather than one. 平 means flat or level. 和 means harmony or accord. Together they describe a state of things being settled and level, which in practice means the absence of war. There is no single kanji that means “peace” the way English uses the word, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling you 和.
The Kanji at a Glance
平 (level, flat)
- On’yomi: ヘイ (hei), ビョウ (byou)
- Kun’yomi: たい(ら) (taira), ひら (hira)
- Stroke count: 5
和 (harmony, accord)
- On’yomi: ワ (wa), オ (o)
- Kun’yomi: やわ(らぐ) (yawaragu), なご(む) (nagomu)
- Stroke count: 8
Together: 平和 (heiwa), 13 strokes in total, meaning peace in the civic and political sense.
Meaning and Nuance
平和 is the word on protest banners, in constitutions, and in the name of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park (平和記念公園, Heiwa Kinen Kouen). It means peace between nations and peace as a public condition. It is not the word for a calm afternoon.
和 on its own is a different and older idea. It means harmony, the state of people fitting together without friction, and it sits near the center of how Japan describes itself. It is also the character for “Japanese” in its native register: 和食 (washoku) is Japanese cuisine, 和室 (washitsu) is a tatami room, 和服 (wafuku) is traditional dress. So a single 和 on an arm reads as “harmony” and faintly as “Japanese style,” not as “peace.”
Real compounds:
- 平和 (heiwa): peace. 世界平和 (sekai heiwa) is world peace.
- 調和 (chouwa): harmony in the sense of balance, used for music, color, and design.
- 和解 (wakai): reconciliation, including the legal sense of settling a dispute.
For inner peace, Japanese goes elsewhere entirely. 安らぎ (yasuragi) is the ease that settles in the chest. 静けさ (shizukesa) is quiet. Both are closer to what people usually mean when they ask for a “peace” tattoo, and both belong to the same family of ideas as wabi-sabi and zen practice.
As a Tattoo
Two honest options, and the choice depends on what you actually mean.
平和 (heiwa), stacked vertically, says peace and only peace. Thirteen strokes across two characters gives a balanced column, and the meaning is unambiguous to any Japanese reader. The downside is that it reads civic and slightly formal, like something printed on a memorial.
和 (wa) alone is the far more common single-character choice, and it is a good one as long as you know it says harmony. Eight strokes, well balanced, with the rice radical 禾 on the left and 口 on the right. Nobody will misread it. They simply will not read “peace.”
Avoid the shortcut of picking 平 alone. By itself it means flat, level, or ordinary, as in 平日 (heijitsu, a weekday). It is not half of peace in any usable sense.
One cross-language note: Chinese reverses the order. The Chinese word for peace is 和平 (héping), while 平和 in Chinese means mild or gentle. If your reference image came from a Chinese source, check which order you are looking at. Confirm with a native speaker before you ink.
Compare both layouts in the Japanese Tattoo Generator, and see the wider symbol set in our guide to japanese tattoo meanings.
Related Kanji
FAQ
What is the kanji for peace?
Peace in Japanese is 平和 (heiwa), written with two kanji: 平 (level, 5 strokes) and 和 (harmony, 8 strokes). No single character carries the full meaning of the English word “peace.”
Can I just use 和 for a peace tattoo?
You can, but it means harmony rather than peace, and it also signals “Japanese style” in words like 和食 and 和室. It is a strong single character as long as harmony is the meaning you want.
What is the kanji for inner peace?
There is no single kanji. 安らぎ (yasuragi) is inner ease, 静けさ (shizukesa) is quiet, and 心の平和 (kokoro no heiwa) is literally “peace of the heart.” Most people asking for inner peace mean 安らぎ.
Is 平和 the same in Chinese?
The characters exist in Chinese but in the other order. Chinese uses 和平 (héping) for peace, while 平和 there means mild or moderate. The Japanese word is 平和.