Free Chinese & Japanese Online Dictionary

If you enter English words, search is Boolean mode:
Enter fall to get just entries with fall in them.
Enter fall* to get results including "falling" and "fallen".
Enter +fall -season -autumn to make sure fall is included, but not entries with autumn or season.

Key:

Mandarin Chinese information.
Old Wade-Giles romanization used only in Taiwan.
Japanese information.
Buddhist definition. Note: May not apply to all sects.
 Definition may be different outside of Buddhism.

There are 514 total results for your Northern search in the dictionary. I have created 6 pages of results for you. Each page contains 100 results...

<123456>
Characters Pronunciation
Romanization
Simple Dictionary Definition

康応

see styles
 kouou / koo
    こうおう
(hist) Kōō era (of the Northern Court; 1389.2.9-1390.3.26)

康暦

see styles
 kouryaku / koryaku
    こうりゃく
(hist) Kōryaku era (of the Northern Court; 1379.3.22-1381.2.24)

康永

see styles
 yasunaga
    やすなが
(hist) Kōei era (of the Northern Court; 1342.4.27-1345.10.21); (surname, given name) Yasunaga

延文

see styles
 nobufumi
    のぶふみ
(hist) Enbun era (of the Northern Court; 1356.3.28-1361.3.29); (personal name) Nobufumi

建武

see styles
 kenmu
    けんむ
(1) (hist) Kenmu era (of unified Japan; 1334.1.29-1336.2.29); (2) (hist) Kenmu era (of the Northern Court; 1336.2.29-1338.8.28)

後魏


后魏

see styles
hòu wèi
    hou4 wei4
hou wei
Wei of the Northern Dynasties 386-534

御肉

see styles
 oniku; oniku
    おにく; オニク
(kana only) northern groundcone (Boschniakia rossica)

志徳

see styles
 shitoku
    しとく
(hist) Shitoku era (of the Northern Court; 1384.2.27-1387.8.23); (place-name) Shitoku

応安

see styles
 ouan / oan
    おうあん
(hist) Ōan era (of the Northern Court; 1368.2.18-1375.2.27)

恆山


恒山

see styles
héng shān
    heng2 shan1
heng shan
Mt Heng in Shanxi, northern mountain of the Five Sacred Mountains 五嶽|五岳[Wu3 yue4]; Hengshan district of Jixi city 雞西|鸡西[Ji1 xi1], Heilongjiang

慶州


庆州

see styles
qìng zhōu
    qing4 zhou1
ch`ing chou
    ching chou
 kyonju
    キョンジュ
Qingzhou, ancient northern province; Gyeongju City, South Korea
(place-name) Gyeongju, South Korea
Gyeongju

拉活

see styles
lā huó
    la1 huo2
la huo
(northern dialect) to pick up a fare (as a taxi driver); to pick up a piece of work (as a courier)

拓拔

see styles
tuò bá
    tuo4 ba2
t`o pa
    to pa
branch of the Xianbei 鮮卑|鲜卑 nomadic people, founders of Wei 北魏 of the Northern Dynasties (386-534); also written 拓跋

拓跋

see styles
tuò bá
    tuo4 ba2
t`o pa
    to pa
branch of the Xianbei 鮮卑|鲜卑 nomadic people, founders of Wei 北魏 of the Northern Dynasties (386-534); also written 拓拔

摂津

see styles
 setsutsu
    せつつ
(hist) Settsu (former province located in the northern and central parts of present-day Osaka and the southeast of Hyogo prefectures); (surname) Setsutsu

摩羯

see styles
mó jié
    mo2 jie2
mo chieh
Capricorn (star sign); northern people in classical times, a branch of the Huns or Xiongnu 匈奴

文和

see styles
 bunwa
    ぶんわ
Bunna era (of the Northern Court; 1352.9.27-1356.3.28); Bunwa era; (given name) Bunwa

新竹

see styles
xīn zhú
    xin1 zhu2
hsin chu
 shinjuu / shinju
    シンジュー
Xinzhu or Hsinchu city in northern Taiwan, noted for high tech industries; Xinzhu or Hsinchu county in northwest Taiwan
(place-name) Hsinchu (Taiwan)

明徳

see styles
 meitoku / metoku
    めいとく
(1) virtue; (2) (hist) Meitoku era (of the Northern Court; 1390.3.26-1392.10.5); (3) (hist) Meitoku era (of reunified Japan; 1392.10.5-1394.7.5); (g,p) Meitoku

明藏

see styles
míng zàng
    ming2 zang4
ming tsang
 Myō zō
The Buddhist canon of the Ming dynasty; there were two editions, one the Southern at Nanjing made by T'ai Tsu, the northern at Beijing by Tai Tsung. A later edition was produced in the reign of Shen Tsung (Wan Li), which became the standard in Japan.

晉州


晋州

see styles
jìn zhōu
    jin4 zhou1
chin chou
see 晉州市|晋州市[Jin4 zhou1 Shi4]; Jin Prefecture, established under the Northern Wei dynasty in 528, centered on present-day Linfen 臨汾市|临汾市[Lin2 fen2 Shi4] in Shanxi
See: 晋州

暦応

see styles
 ryakuou; rekiou / ryakuo; rekio
    りゃくおう; れきおう
Ryakuō era (of the Northern Court; 1338.8.28-1342.4.27); Rekiō era

曹錕


曹锟

see styles
cáo kūn
    cao2 kun1
ts`ao k`un
    tsao kun
Cao Kun (1862-1938), one of the Northern Warlords

月支

see styles
yuè zhī
    yue4 zhi1
yüeh chih
 Gasshi
    げっし
the Yuezhi, an ancient people of central Asia during the Han dynasty (also written 月氏[Yue4 zhi1])
Yuezhi; Rouzhi; an ancient Central Asian people
(月支國) The Yuezhi, or 'Indo-Scythians', 月氏 (國) and a country they at one time occupied, i. e. 都貨羅 Tukhara, Tokharestan, or Badakshan. Driven out from the northern curve of the Yellow River by the Huns, circa 165 B. C., they conquered Bactria 大夏, the Punjab, Kashmir, 'and the greater part of India. ' Their expulsion from the north of Shansi was the cause of the famous journey of Zhangqian of the Han dynasty and the beginning of Chinese expansion to the north-west. Kanishka, king of the Yuezhi towards the end of the first century A. D., became the great protector and propagator of Buddhism.

東魏


东魏

see styles
dōng wèi
    dong1 wei4
tung wei
 tougi / togi
    とうぎ
Eastern Wei of the Northern dynasties (534-550), formed from the break-up of Wei of the Northern Dynasties 北魏
Eastern Wei dynasty (of China; 534-550)

林逋

see styles
lín bū
    lin2 bu1
lin pu
Lin Bu (967-1028), Northern Song poet

楊億


杨亿

see styles
yáng yì
    yang2 yi4
yang i
Yang Yi (974-1020), Northern Song dynasty writer and poet

楊業


杨业

see styles
yáng yè
    yang2 ye4
yang yeh
Yang Ye (died 986), Chinese military general of the Northern Han and the Northern Song dynasties, defended the Song against invasion by the Liao 遼|辽[Liao2]

極光


极光

see styles
jí guāng
    ji2 guang1
chi kuang
 kyokukou / kyokuko
    きょくこう
aurora (meteorology)
northern or southern lights; aurora borealis or australis; (given name) Kyokukou

正慶

see styles
 masayoshi
    まさよし
Shōkyō era (of the Northern Court) (1332.4.28-1333.5.?); Shōkei era; (male given name) Masayoshi

武定

see styles
wǔ dìng
    wu3 ding4
wu ting
 takesada
    たけさだ
Wuding reign name (543–550) during Eastern Wei of the Northern Dynasties 東魏|东魏[Dong1 Wei4]; see 武定縣|武定县[Wu3 ding4 Xian4]
(given name) Takesada

毛人

see styles
 moujin / mojin
    もうじん
(archaism) (See 蝦夷・1) Emishi; non-Yamato peoples in northern Japan

永和

see styles
yǒng hé
    yong3 he2
yung ho
 hisato
    ひさと
Yonghe or Yungho city in New Taipei City 新北市[Xin1 bei3 shi4], Taiwan
Eiwa era (of the Northern Court) (1375.2.27-1379.3.22); (given name) Hisato

永徳

see styles
 hisanori
    ひさのり
Eitoku era (of the Northern Court) (1381.2.24-1384.2.27); (given name) Hisanori

汴京

see styles
biàn jīng
    bian4 jing1
pien ching
Bianjing, Northern Song capital, now called Kaifeng 開封|开封[Kai1 feng1], Henan

油子

see styles
yóu zi
    you2 zi5
yu tzu
 aburako
    あぶらこ
dense and sticky substance; (dialect) wily old fox
(1) (kana only) (See 鮎魚女) (as used in Northern Japan) greenling; (2) (See 目高) (as used in Kochi and surrounds) medaka ricefish; (place-name) Aburako

油症

see styles
yóu zhèng
    you2 zheng4
yu cheng
 yushou / yusho
    ゆしょう
Yusho disease or Yu-cheng disease, mass poisoning caused by rice bran oil in northern Kyushu, Japan (1968), and in Taiwan (1979)
yusho (disease caused by PCB ingestion)

泰北

see styles
tài běi
    tai4 bei3
t`ai pei
    tai pei
northern Thailand

洛北

see styles
 rakuhoku
    らくほく
(1) north of the capital; (2) northern part of Kyoto

海星

see styles
hǎi xīng
    hai3 xing1
hai hsing
 mihoshi
    みほし
starfish; sea star
(1) (kana only) starfish; sea star; asteroid; any echinoderm of the class Asteroidea; (2) (kana only) northern Pacific seastar (Asterias amurensis); (female given name) Mihoshi

溟池

see styles
míng chí
    ming2 chi2
ming ch`ih
    ming chih
the northern sea

燕國


燕国

see styles
yān guó
    yan1 guo2
yen kuo
Yan, a vassal state of Zhou in modern Hebei and Liaoning; north Hebei; the four Yan kingdoms of the Sixteen Kingdoms, namely: Former Yan 前燕[Qian2 Yan1] (337-370), Later Yan 後燕|后燕[Hou4 Yan1] (384-409), Southern Yan 南燕[Nan2 Yan1] (398-410), Northern Yan 北燕[Bei3 Yan1] (409-436)

猛鴞


猛鸮

see styles
měng xiāo
    meng3 xiao1
meng hsiao
(bird species of China) northern hawk-owl (Surnia ulula)

獫狁


猃狁

see styles
xiǎn yǔn
    xian3 yun3
hsien yün
Zhou Dynasty term for a northern nomadic tribe later called the Xiongnu 匈奴[Xiong1 nu2] in the Qin and Han Dynasties

玄琬

see styles
xuán wǎn
    xuan2 wan3
hsüan wan
 Genon
Xuanyuan, an influential Shensi monk who lived through the persecution of Buddhism in the 北周 Northern Zhou dynasty into the Sui and Tang dynasties.

田鳧

see styles
 tageri
    たげり
(kana only) northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus); green plover; pewit; peewit

盒子

see styles
hé zi
    he2 zi5
ho tzu
box; case; hezi – a savory turnover-like pie in northern Chinese and Mongolian cuisines

県北

see styles
 kenhoku; kenpoku
    けんほく; けんぽく
northern part of a prefecture

私多

see styles
sī duō
    si1 duo1
ssu to
 shita
私陀; 悉陀; 徒多; 枲多 Sītā. Described as the 'cold' river; one of the four great rivers flowing from the Anavatpta or Anavadata Lake 阿耨達池 in Tibet. One account makes it 'an eastern outflux' which subsequently becomes the Yellow River. It is also said to issue from the west. Again, 'the Ganges flows eastward, the Indus south, Vatsch (Oxus) west, Sītā north.' Vatsch = Vākṣu. 'According to Xuanzang, however, it is the northern outflux of the Sirikol [Sarikkol] Lake (Lat. 38°20′N., Long. 74°E.) now called Yarkand daria, which flows into Lake Lop, thence underneath the desert of Gobi, and reappears as the source of the Huanghe.' Eitel. According to Richard, the Huanghe 'rises a little above two neighbouring lakes of Khchara (Charingnor) and Khnora (Oring-nor). Both are connected by a channel and are situated at an elevation of 14,000 feet. It may perhaps be at first confounded with Djaghing-gol, a river 110 miles long, which flows from the south and empties into the channel joining the two lakes'.

穗鵖

see styles
suì bī
    sui4 bi1
sui pi
(bird species of China) northern wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)

穗䳭

see styles
suì jí
    sui4 ji2
sui chi
(bird species of China) northern wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)

筑紫

see styles
 tsukushi
    つくし
(1) (hist) Tsukushi (former province located in northern Kyūshū; later split into Chikuzen and Chikugo); (2) (archaism) (See 九州) Kyūshū; (p,s,f) Tsukushi

粛慎

see styles
 mishihase; ashihase
    みしはせ; あしはせ
(hist) Mishihase (ancient ethnic group of people who lived in northern Japan)

紫微

see styles
 shibi
    しび
(abbreviation) (See 紫微垣) Purple Forbidden Enclosure (group of constellations in the northern sky associated with the emperor)

羅水


罗水

see styles
luó shuǐ
    luo2 shui3
lo shui
name of a river, the northern tributary of Miluo river 汨羅江|汨罗江[Mi4 luo2 jiang1]

羯族

see styles
jié zú
    jie2 zu2
chieh tsu
Jie people, a tribe of northern China around the 4th century

羯胡

see styles
jié hú
    jie2 hu2
chieh hu
Jie people, a tribe of northern China around the 4th century

胡虜

see styles
 koryo
    こりょ
(1) (hist) northern barbarian tribes surrounding ancient China; (2) (derogatory term) (rare) foreigner; barbarian tribe

腰長

see styles
 koshinaga; koshinaga
    コシナガ; こしなが
(kana only) longtail tuna (Thunnus tonggol); northern bluefin tuna

膃肭


腽肭

see styles
wà nà
    wa4 na4
wa na
 otto
    おっと
fur seal; (literary) fat; obese
(rare) (abbreviation) (See 膃肭臍) fur seal (esp. the northern fur seal, Callorhinus ursinus); Alaskan fur seal

葷粥


荤粥

see styles
xūn yù
    xun1 yu4
hsün yü
Xunyu, an ethnic group of northern China in ancient times

蒙恬

see styles
méng tián
    meng2 tian2
meng t`ien
    meng tien
 mouten / moten
    もうてん
Qin general Meng Tian (-210 BC), involved in 215 BC in fighting the Northern Xiongnu 匈奴 and building the great wall
(person) Meng Tian (ca. 250-210 BCE; Chinese general)

藍摩


蓝摩

see styles
lán mó
    lan2 mo2
lan mo
 Ranma
藍莫 Rāma; Rāmagrāma, an ancient kingdom and city of Northern India between Kapilavastu and Kuśinagara.

蝦夷


虾夷

see styles
xiā yí
    xia1 yi2
hsia i
 emishi
    えみし
Emishi or Ebisu, ethnic group of ancient Japan, thought to be related to modern Ainus
(1) (hist) Emishi; Ezo; non-Yamato peoples in northern Japan; (2) (えぞ only) (hist) (See 蝦夷地・1) Yezo; Hokkaido, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands; (personal name) Emishi

蠻子


蛮子

see styles
mán zi
    man2 zi5
man tzu
barbarian; slave servant; (old) contemptuous term for people from southern China (used by northern Chinese people)

西魏

see styles
xī wèi
    xi1 wei4
hsi wei
 seigi / segi
    せいぎ
Western Wei of the Northern dynasties (535-557), formed from the break-up of Wei of the Northern Dynasties 北魏
(hist) Western Wei dynasty (of China; 535-557)

観応

see styles
 kanou / kano
    かんおう
Kannō era (of the Northern Court) (1350.2.27-1352.9.27); Kan'ō era; (given name) Kan'ou

貞和

see styles
 sadakazu
    さだかず
Jōwa era (of the Northern Court) (1345.10.21-1350.2.27); Teiwa era; (given name) Sadakazu

貞治

see styles
 teiji / teji
    ていじ
Jōji era (of the Northern Court) (1362.9.23-1368.2.18); Teiji era; (given name) Teiji

邵雍

see styles
shào yōng
    shao4 yong1
shao yung
Shao Yong (1011-1077), Northern Song poet and Rationalist scholar 理學家|理学家

郊祀

see styles
jiāo sì
    jiao1 si4
chiao ssu
pair of annual sacrificial ceremonies held by the emperor in ancient times: one in the southern suburbs of the capital (bringing offerings to Heaven) and another in the northern suburbs (with offerings to Earth)

長樂


长乐

see styles
cháng lè
    chang2 le4
ch`ang le
    chang le
 nagara
    ながら
see 長樂區|长乐区[Chang2 le4 Qu1]; Princess Changle of Western Wei of the Northern Dynasties 西魏[Xi1 Wei4], given in marriage c. 545 to Bumin Khan 土門|土门[Tu3 men2]
(surname) Nagara

陝北


陕北

see styles
shǎn běi
    shan3 bei3
shan pei
Shanbei, northern Shaanxi province, including Yulin 榆林 and Yan'an 延安, a Holy Land of Mao's revolution 革命聖地|革命圣地

雜藏


杂藏

see styles
zá zàng
    za2 zang4
tsa tsang
 zōzō
saṃyuktapiṭaka, the miscellaneous canon, at first said to relate to bodhisattvas, but it contains miscellaneous works of Indian and Chinese authors, collections made under the Ming dynasty and supplements of the northern Chinese canon with their case marks from the southern canon.

雷魚

see styles
 raigyo; raihii; raihii / raigyo; raihi; raihi
    らいぎょ; ライヒー; ライヒイ
(1) (See 台湾泥鰌) blotched snakehead (Channa maculata); (2) (らいぎょ only) (See カムルチー) northern snakehead (Channa argus)

韃靼


鞑靼

see styles
dá dá
    da2 da2
ta ta
 dattan
    だったん
Tartar (various northern tribes in ancient China); Tatar (Turkic ethnic group in central Asia)
(hist) Tartary (various tribes that historically inhabited the area north of China); (place-name) Tartary

頂港


顶港

see styles
dǐng gǎng
    ding3 gang3
ting kang
(Tw) northern Taiwan (from Taiwanese, Tai-lo pr. [tíng-káng])

駿河

see styles
 toshikawa
    としかわ
(hist) Suruga (former province located in the central and northern parts of present-day Shizuoka Prefecture); (surname) Toshikawa

騊駼


𫘦𬳿

see styles
táo tú
    tao2 tu2
t`ao t`u
    tao tu
(literary) a well-regarded type of horse native to the northern regions, particularly associated with the Xiongnu people 匈奴[Xiong1 nu2]

高雲


高云

see styles
gāo yún
    gao1 yun2
kao yün
 takakumo
    たかくも
Gao Yun (died 409) emperor of Northern or Later Yan dynasty
(surname) Takakumo

魏收

see styles
wèi shōu
    wei4 shou1
wei shou
Wei Shou (506-572), writer and historian of Northern dynasty Qi 北齊|北齐[Bei3 Qi2], compiler of History of Wei of the Northern dynasties 魏書|魏书[Wei4 shu1]

魏書


魏书

see styles
wèi shū
    wei4 shu1
wei shu
 gisho
    ぎしょ
History of Wei of the Northern Dynasties, tenth of the 24 dynastic histories 二十四史[Er4 shi2 si4 Shi3], compiled by Wei Shou 魏收[Wei4 Shou1] in 554 during Northern Qi Dynasty 北齊|北齐[Bei3 Qi2], 114 scrolls
(personal name) Gisho

麻溜

see styles
má liu
    ma2 liu5
ma liu
(dialect) quickly; briskly; without delay (northern colloquialism, often used in commands)

齊書


齐书

see styles
qí shū
    qi2 shu1
ch`i shu
    chi shu
History of Qi of the Southern Dynasties, seventh of the 24 dynastic histories 二十四史[Er4 shi2 si4 Shi3], compiled by Xiao Zixian 蕭子顯|萧子显[Xiao1 Zi3 xian3] in 537 during Liang of the Southern Dynasties 南朝梁[Nan2 chao2 Liang2], 59 scrolls; usually 南齊書|南齐书[Nan2 Qi2 shu1] to distinguish from Northern Qi

龜茲


龟兹

see styles
qiū cí
    qiu1 ci2
ch`iu tz`u
    chiu tzu
 Kyūji
Kucha, ancient Silk Road kingdom and Buddhist center on the northern rim of the Taklamakan Desert (Han-Tang period), in present-day Aksu, Xinjiang
Kucha

ウニウ

see styles
 uniu
    ウニウ
(See オットセイ) fur seal (esp. the northern fur seal, Callorhinus ursinus) (ain:); Alaskan fur seal

ウネウ

see styles
 uneu
    ウネウ
fur seal (esp. the northern fur seal, Callorhinus ursinus) (ain:)

オニク

see styles
 oniku
    オニク
(kana only) northern groundcone (Boschniakia rossica)

ヒトデ

see styles
 hitode
    ヒトデ
(1) (kana only) starfish; sea star; asteroid; any echinoderm of the class Asteroidea; (2) (kana only) northern Pacific seastar (Asterias amurensis); (female given name) Hitode

三論宗


三论宗

see styles
sān lùn zōng
    san1 lun4 zong1
san lun tsung
 sanronshuu / sanronshu
    さんろんしゅう
Three Treatise School (Buddhism)
Sanron sect (of Buddhism)
The Sanlun, Mādhyamika, or Middle School, founded in India by Nāgārjuna, in China by 嘉祥 Jiaxiang during the reign of 安帝 An Di, Eastern Jin, A.D. 397-419. It flourished up to the latter part of the Tang dynasty. In 625 it was carried to Japan as Sanron. After the death of Jiaxiang, who wrote the 三論玄義, a northern and southern division took place. While the Mādhyamika denied the reality of all phenomenal existence, and defined the noumenal world in negative terms, its aim seems not to have been nihilistic, but the advocacy of a reality beyond human conception and expression, which in our terminology may be termed a spiritual realm.

五代史

see styles
wǔ dài shǐ
    wu3 dai4 shi3
wu tai shih
History of the Five Dynasties, eighteenth of the 24 dynastic histories 二十四史[Er4 shi2 si4 Shi3], compiled under Xue Juzheng 薛居正[Xue1 Ju1 zheng4] in 974 during Northern Song 北宋[Bei3 Song4], 150 scrolls

伐臘毗

see styles
fá là pí
    fa2 la4 pi2
fa la p`i
    fa la pi
Valabhī. Modern Wālā. 'An ancient kingdom and city on the eastern coast of Gujerat. ' Eitel. Known also as 北羅 northern Lata.

倶盧洲


倶卢洲

see styles
jù lú zhōu
    ju4 lu2 zhou1
chü lu chou
 kurushū
Kurudvīpa; Uttarakuru. The northern of the four continents of a world; cf. 大洲 and 鬱.

僧迦舍

see styles
sēng jiā shè
    seng1 jia1 she4
seng chia she
 Sōkasha
Sāṅkāśya, an ancient kingdom and city in Northern India (v. Kapitha 劫). The modern Samkassam, now a village 45 miles north-west of Kanauj. Also 僧伽施.

元好問


元好问

see styles
yuán hào wèn
    yuan2 hao4 wen4
yüan hao wen
Yuan Haowen (1190-1257), famous poet Northern China during the Jin-Yuan transition

六盤山


六盘山

see styles
liù pán shān
    liu4 pan2 shan1
liu p`an shan
    liu pan shan
Liupan Mountains, mountain range in northern China

包待制

see styles
bāo dài zhì
    bao1 dai4 zhi4
pao tai chih
Bao Daizhi, "Edict Attendant Bao", fictional name used for Bao Zheng 包拯[Bao1 Zheng3] (999-1062), Northern Song official renowned for his honesty

包青天

see styles
bāo qīng tiān
    bao1 qing1 tian1
pao ch`ing t`ien
    pao ching tien
Bao Qingtian, fictional nickname of Bao Zheng 包拯[Bao1 Zheng3] (999-1062), Northern Song official renowned for his honesty

包龍圖


包龙图

see styles
bāo lóng tú
    bao1 long2 tu2
pao lung t`u
    pao lung tu
Bao Longtu, ”Bao of the Dragon Image”, fictional name used for Bao Zheng 包拯[Bao1 Zheng3] (999-1062), Northern Song official renowned for his honesty

北の対

see styles
 kitanotai
    きたのたい
(See 対の屋) northern side house (to the rear of a main residence; often home to one's wife)

Entries with 2nd row of characters: The 2nd row is Simplified Chinese.

<123456>

This page contains 100 results for "Northern" in Chinese and/or Japanese.



Information about this dictionary:

Apparently, we were the first ones who were crazy enough to think that western people might want a combined Chinese, Japanese, and Buddhist dictionary.

A lot of westerners can't tell the difference between Chinese and Japanese - and there is a reason for that. Chinese characters and even whole words were borrowed by Japan from the Chinese language in the 5th century. Much of the time, if a word or character is used in both languages, it will have the same or a similar meaning. However, this is not always true. Language evolves, and meanings independently change in each language.

Example: The Chinese character 湯 for soup (hot water) has come to mean bath (hot water) in Japanese. They have the same root meaning of "hot water", but a 湯屋 sign on a bathhouse in Japan would lead a Chinese person to think it was a "soup house" or a place to get a bowl of soup. See this: Japanese Bath House

This dictionary uses the EDICT and CC-CEDICT dictionary files.
EDICT data is the property of the Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group, and is used in conformance with the Group's license.

Chinese Buddhist terms come from Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms by William Edward Soothill and Lewis Hodous. This is commonly referred to as "Soothill's'". It was first published in 1937 (and is now off copyright so we can use it here). Some of these definitions may be misleading, incomplete, or dated, but 95% of it is good information. Every professor who teaches Buddhism or Eastern Religion has a copy of this on their bookshelf. We incorporated these 16,850 entries into our dictionary database ourselves (it was lot of work).



Combined, these cover 1,007,753 Japanese, Chinese, and Buddhist characters, words, idioms, names, placenames, and short phrases.

Just because a word appears here does not mean it is appropriate for a tattoo, your business name, etc. Please consult a professional before doing anything stupid with this data.

We do offer Chinese and Japanese Tattoo Services. We'll also be happy to help you translate something for other purposes.

No warranty as to the correctness, potential vulgarity, or clarity is expressed or implied. We did not write any of these definitions (though we occasionally act as a contributor/editor to the CC-CEDICT project). You are using this dictionary for free, and you get what you pay for.

The following titles are just to help people who are searching for an Asian dictionary to find this page.

Japanese Kanji Dictionary

Free Asian Dictionary

Chinese Kanji Dictionary

Chinese Words Dictionary

Chinese Language Dictionary

Japanese Chinese Dictionary