Essential Kanji & Symbols Every Tourist Should Know in Japan

Traveling in Japan can feel overwhelming if you don’t know Japanese. But here’s the secret: sometimes you don’t need the words, you just need to recognize the symbols and kanji. These little characters can save you from walking into a closed shop, ordering the wrong meal, or pressing the wrong toilet button (trust me, that one’s important!).

In this guide, based on my video with Oriental Pearl, we’ll go category by category through the most useful kanji and symbols every tourist should learn before their trip to Japan.

🍴 Food & Drink Symbols

Menus in Japan often list items in kanji only. Knowing just a few can make a big difference:

• 肉 (にく / niku) = Meat

• 魚 (さかな / sakana) = Fish

• 鳥 (とり / tori) = Chicken

• 牛 (ぎゅう / ushi/gyū) = Beef (often used in “wagyu”)

• 豚 (ぶた / buta) = Pork

• 酒 (さけ / sake) = Alcohol

👉 Fun fact: alcoholic cans often have small braille bumps on top so people can identify them by touch. Handy to know if you want to avoid — or seek out — alcohol.

💴 Money & Shopping

When browsing shops or restaurants, you’ll see these symbols a lot:

• 円 (えん / en) = Yen (written after prices)

• ¥ = Yen (the familiar symbol, written before prices)

• 定休日 (ていきゅうび / teikyūbi) = Regular closed day

• 売切 (うりきれ / urikire) = Sold out

• 準備中 (じゅんびちゅう / junbi-chū) = Preparing / Not open yet

Tip: Many shops in Japan close on a fixed weekday, so don’t be surprised if a whole street is shut on a Tuesday!

🏪 Useful Signs

• 〒 = Post office / mailbox

• 入 (いり / iri) = Entrance (as in 入り口 iriguchi)

• 出 (で / de) = Exit (as in 出口 deguchi)

• 入 (on) and 切 (off) often appear on remotes or switches

🚽 Toilets (Don’t Get This Wrong!)

Japanese toilets are famous worldwide — but also intimidating if you can’t read the buttons. Here are the essentials:

• 大 (だい / dai) = Big flush (No.2 💩)

• 小 (しょう / shō) = Small flush (No.1 💧)

• おしり (oshiri) = Bidet/wash (hiragana, often with a “bum” icon)

• 男 (おとこ / otoko) = Men

• 女 (おんな / onna) = Women

👉 Press the wrong button and you may get an unexpected shower. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

🚉 Trains & Transport

Japan’s train system is amazing but can be confusing. Watch out for these symbols:

• 駅 (えき / eki) = Station

• 下り (くだり / kudari) = Down / away from Tokyo

• 上り (のぼり / nobori) = Up / toward Tokyo

• 回送 (かいそう / kaisō) = Out of service (don’t board)

• 空車 (くうしゃ / kūsha) = Empty taxi (available)

• 迎車 (げいしゃ / geisha) = Reserved taxi (not for you!)

📅 Dates & Times

Useful when buying tickets, checking attraction times, or filling in forms:

• 年 (ねん / nen) = Year

• 月 (がつ / gatsu) = Month

• 日 (にち / nichi) = Day

• 時 (じ / ji) = Hour

• 分 (ふん / fun) = Minute

Why Bother Learning These?

Even if you don’t speak Japanese, just recognizing these symbols will help you:

• Avoid ordering the wrong meal

• Find your way through busy train stations

• Save yourself from awkward toilet mistakes

• Impress locals with your effort

As I said in the video: learning a few kanji unlocks boss level tourism mode in Japan. Locals really appreciate it, and it’ll make your trip smoother and more enjoyable.

Final Thoughts

You don’t need to be fluent in Japanese to travel confidently. But knowing these essential symbols and kanji will help you navigate menus, stations, toilets, and shops with ease.

Bookmark this page, take a screenshot, or print it before your trip — and you’ll thank yourself later when you’re standing in front of a vending machine or bathroom wall of mysterious buttons.

And if you want to go further, I recommend brushing up with a Japanese tutor online before your trip. A little practice goes a long way.

Stay positive, be a happy gaijin, and enjoy exploring Japan!