How to say "Tradition" in Japanese | 伝統

If you are wondering what's the Japanese word for "Tradition" you've come to the right place!

the Japanese word for "Tradition" is "Dentou", written in japanese as "伝統".

Here's a more detailed explanation:

The Japanese noun '伝統 (でんとう)' means 'tradition'. It refers to customs, beliefs, practices, or cultural elements that have been passed down through generations. This word is often used to describe long-standing cultural practices or historical continuity. For example: Japanese tea ceremony is a tradition「日本の茶道は伝統です」(にほんのさどうはでんとうです). We must preserve our traditions「私たちは伝統を守らなければなりません」(わたしたちはでんとうをまもらなければなりません). The word can also be used in broader contexts, such as 'traditional art' (伝統芸術, でんとうげいじゅつ) or 'traditional values' (伝統的価値観, でんとうてきかちかん).

The Kanji are characters that represent meanings. As you can see, this word is made up of 2 Kanji:

The kanji "伝" means "Transmit" and can be read as "Den", "Tsuta" and "Tsute". And The kanji "統" means "Unite" and can be read as "Tou" and "Su".

Now, let's make sure you understand this word the other way around too.

What does "Dentou" mean in japanese?

"Dentou" means "Tradition" .

To learn more about the kanji in this word, checkout this pages:

To make really sure you learn this word, We've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this word and of the characters that comprise it.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "で" is read as "de". The hiragana "ん" is read as "n". The hiragana "つ" is read as "tsu". The hiragana "た" is read as "ta". The hiragana "て" is read as "te". The hiragana "と" is read as "to". The hiragana "う" is read as "u". And The hiragana "す" is read as "su".

About kanji, you need to know that most Kanji have two types of readings: Kunyomi, based on native japanese pronunciation. And onyomi, based on chinese pronunciation.