One way to write Richard in kanji — with meanings you choose yourself, in the Japanese ateji (当て字) tradition.
Richard sounds like ri · ku · ha · ru · do in Japanese. Matching each sound to a kanji gives 莉久波瑠道 — one of 324 possible kanji spellings of Richard. Every character below shares the sound but carries a different meaning, so the final choice is yours.
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| Sound | Kanji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ri | 莉 | jasmine |
| ku | 久 | everlasting |
| ha | 波 | wave |
| ru | 瑠 | lapis lazuli |
| do | 道 | the Way |
Pick a different character for any syllable — love, dreams, strength, light — and the art updates instantly in the generator.
“ri” — 4 kanji to choose from
“ku” — 3 kanji to choose from
“ha” — 3 kanji to choose from
“ru” — 3 kanji to choose from
“do” — 3 kanji to choose from
莉久波瑠道 makes striking vertical calligraphy — a popular choice for a kanji name tattoo, a personalised Japanese name gift, or framed wall art. Because you can read this page, you (and your tattoo artist) know exactly what each character means — no mystery kanji.
There is no single official kanji for Richard. This is one sound-based ateji (当て字) option: 莉久波瑠道, read "ri-ku-ha-ru-do", with the meanings "jasmine · everlasting · wave · lapis lazuli · the Way". You can swap a character for another with the same sound: Richard has 324 possible kanji spellings in this generator.
Yes — 莉久波瑠道 is a phonetic ateji spelling of Richard, and each character's meaning is listed on this page, so you know exactly what your tattoo says. For stroke-accurate line work, generate the free art below and bring the high-resolution version to your artist.
Character by character, 莉久波瑠道 reads 莉 ("jasmine", read "ri"), 久 ("everlasting", read "ku"), 波 ("wave", read "ha"), 瑠 ("lapis lazuli", read "ru"), 道 ("the Way", read "do"). Together they sound like "Richard" while carrying the meanings jasmine · everlasting · wave · lapis lazuli · the Way.