Kanji for “dragon”

A mythical East Asian dragon: a symbol of power, protection and good fortune rather than a monster.

龍 ryū / tatsu

Closest natural translation · misunderstanding risk Low

Reading: ryū / tatsu — Common standalone reading
About the reading: The traditional form, still the one used in dragon imagery, temple art and names.
Literal meaning: Dragon
What it suggests: The East Asian dragon: a serpentine water and sky creature tied to power, protection and good fortune, not the treasure-hoarding monster of European stories.
When to use it: For the dragon itself, when you want the older and more ornate shape.
On its own: Natural as a standalone noun.
In compounds: Natural in 龍神 (dragon god) and 昇龍 (ascending dragon).
As a tattoo: The form Japanese readers expect on a tattoo. Dense and striking at size; the strokes fill in if it is inked small.
Worth knowing: Ryū is a common male given name written with exactly this character, and 龍 runs through names such as 龍馬 and 龍之介. Alone on a person it may read as somebody's name.

竜 ryū / tatsu

Related meaning, not a literal translation · misunderstanding risk Low

Reading: ryū / tatsu — Common standalone reading
About the reading: The standard modern form taught in schools. Same word, plainer shape.
Literal meaning: Dragon
What it suggests: Identical in meaning to 龍, but it reads as ordinary print rather than as something ceremonial.
When to use it: When you want the dragon to look contemporary, or need a shape that survives small.
On its own: Natural as a standalone noun.
In compounds: Natural in 恐竜 (dinosaur) and 竜巻 (tornado).
As a tattoo: Correct but everyday. Next to 龍 it can look plain for a decorative piece.
Worth knowing: The same name reading applies as for 龍: Ryū is a common male given name, so a single 竜 can be taken as a name rather than as the animal.

辰 tatsu / shin

Symbolic choice, not a literal translation · misunderstanding risk Medium

Reading: tatsu / shin — Zodiac reading
About the reading: The dragon sign of the zodiac, not the ordinary word for the animal.
Literal meaning: Dragon (zodiac sign)
What it suggests: Marks the year of the dragon. It points at a birth year, not at a dragon as a creature.
When to use it: Only if you specifically mean being born in a dragon year.
On its own: Natural, but read as a calendar or zodiac term.
In compounds: Natural in 辰年 (year of the dragon).
As a tattoo: Japanese readers take it as your zodiac sign, much like tattooing a star sign.
Worth knowing: It reads as a zodiac year rather than the dragon you probably mean.

Before it is permanent: have a fluent Japanese speaker check the exact characters in the final stencil, not in an email. Fonts substitute look-alike characters, and a shop that cannot read Japanese cannot catch it.

Check characters you already have