The Kanji for Peace (平和 and 和): Harmony in Japanese

和 (wa) might be the single most culturally significant kanji in the language. It means harmony, peace, and — by extension — Japan and Japaneseness itself.

和 (wa) — harmony

• On'yomi: ワ (wa), オ (o)
• Kun'yomi: やわ(らぐ) — yawaragu, to soften; なご(む) — nagomu, to calm down
• Stroke count: 8

和 prefixes a huge family of “Japanese-style” words: 和食 (washoku, Japanese cuisine), 和室 (washitsu, tatami room), 和服 (wafuku, kimono). When you see 和, think “native Japanese” as opposed to 洋 (yō, Western).

平 (hei/taira) — flat, even, calm

平 means level or flat, and by extension calm and ordinary. Combine it with 和 and you get the word everyone wants:

平和 (heiwa) — peace. Flatness + harmony = a world without conflict.

Words to remember

• 平和 (heiwa) — peace.
• 和平 (wahei) — peace (in the diplomatic/treaty sense).
• 平気 (heiki) — being unbothered, “I'm fine.”
• 昭和 / 令和 — Shōwa and Reiwa, two imperial era names that both contain 和.