Dragon in Japanese

Dragon in Japanese is 竜, romanised as ryuu and written in hiragana as りゅう. Japanese dragons are usually serpentine water deities, distinct from the fire-breathing Western dragon. 龍 (the traditional form) is still the standard in tattoos, calligraphy, and proper names; 竜 is the postwar simplified form taught in schools.

竜 means "dragon" (10 strokes; on'yomi: ryuu; kun'yomi: tatsu). 龍 means "dragon (traditional form)" (16 strokes; on'yomi: ryuu; kun'yomi: tatsu). Together the word reads as ryuu.

竜 (ryuu) is the standard form: Japanese dragons are usually serpentine water deities, distinct from the fire-breathing Western dragon. 龍 (the traditional form) is still the standard in tattoos, calligraphy, and proper names; 竜 is the postwar simplified form taught in schools.. 龍 (ryuu) is different — traditional, more ornate form of the same character — preferred for tattoos and calligraphy. Pick based on the exact nuance you want to convey.

龍 is the traditional 16-stroke form preferred for tattoos because of its visual weight and historical prestige. 竜 is the simplified modern form used in everyday Japanese writing. Both read as ryuu and mean dragon. For a tattoo, 龍 looks more impressive at large sizes; 竜 reads cleaner at small sizes. Both are universally understood.

In hiragana, dragon is written as りゅう, which represents the sound ryuu. The kanji form 竜 is used in everyday writing; hiragana is used when the kanji is too difficult, for emphasis, or in children's text.