List of Japanese map symbols

This is a list of symbols appearing on Japanese maps. These symbols are called chizukigou (地図記号) in the Japanese language. They are standardized by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) and the Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB). These two sources generally agree, but they have alternative forms for a few symbols.[1]

Because these symbols were developed within a specifically Japanese cultural setting, alternative symbols have been developed for some meanings that are more consistent with worldwide symbol usage or more obvious in what they depict.[2][3][4]

Symbol Meaning (English) Illustration
Municipal building (major city) Municipal building (city or ward level)[5] Fukuoka City Hall
Municipal building (minor city, town, village) Municipal building (town or village level) Kota Town Office
Courthouse Courthouse or building Sapporo-High-District-Court
Fire station Fire station Nishi Fire Station Hiroshima City
Police station Police station[6] Police station
Koban Kōban (police box)[7] Kameariekimae-Kitaguchi Koban
Public health center Public health center Bunkyo Public Health Service Center Hongo branch office
Post office Post office[7] Post office
Meteorological observatory Meteorological observatory Meteorological observatory
District Forestry Office Forest service office Akita Forest Service Office
Government building Government office building kinyucho
Elementary or junior high school Elementary or junior highschool Kota Junior High School gates
High school High school Kozakai high school
Junior college Junior college image searching
Technical college Technical college Tokyo Metropolitan College of Industrial Technology Shinagawa-Campus
University College or university Waseda University main campus
Museum Museum Tokyo National Museum in Ueno
Library Library Gifu Library
Shinto shrine Shinto shrine[7] Fushimi Inari, Shinto shrine
Buddhist Temple Temple Daitoku-ji
Factory Plant or factory[6] Hitachi Toyokawa Factory
Hospital Hospital Nagoya University Hospital
Japan Self-Defense Forces Military (JSDF) base[6] Self-Defense Forces
Oil or Gas well Oil or gas well Oil well in Toyokawa, Akita
Power plant Power station[6] Oi Thermal Power Station
nursing home Nursing home Kasugai Elderly Nursing Home
Japanese castle Castle Himeji Castle
Chimney Chimney Chimney in Hokkaido
Crater or Fumarole Volcanic crater or Fumarole Mount Aso
Radio tower Radio tower Radio tower
TV tower TV tower Tokyo Tower
Historical site-Place of scenic beauty-Natural monument-Protected animal plant Place of historic, cultural, or scenic interest[6] Nintoku Tomb
Monument Monument Emperor Meiji Viewing the Fishing Monument in Oiso
Windmill Wind turbine or farm Wind turbines
Lighthouse Lighthouse Old style Japanese Lighthouse
Broadleaf trees Hardwood forest or woods Broadleaf trees
Coniferous trees Coniferous forest or woods Coniferous trees
Palm trees Palm trees Palm trees
Bamboo grove Bamboo grove Bamboo grove
Siberian Dwarf Pines Dwarf pine forest or woods Siberian Dwarf Pines
Field Fields Near Nakabaru Branch of Miyaki Town Hall
Paddy field Paddies Spring rice paddy
Orchard Orchard Sour Cherry Orchard
Tea plantation Tea plantation Tea plantation (Sri Lanka)
Mulberry field Mulberry orchard Mulberry orchard
Other Tree plantation Other plantation Other Tree plantation
Barren land Marsh or Grassland Barren land
Graveyard Graveyard or cemetery Graveyard
Mine Mine Mine
Pithead Pit head Ryugenji Mine Shaft
Quarry Quarry Quarry
Onsen Onsen (hot spring) Onsen
Important port Major port Kobe port
Local port Minor port Local port
Fishing port Fishing port Fishing port
Car Ferry Ferry (car carrier) Ritsurin Car Ferry
Other Ferry Ferry Non-car Ferry
Benchmark Benchmark benchmark
Fixed GPS marker Fixed GPS survey point (Electronic triangulation point) Fixed GPS marker
Triangulation point Triangulation point Triangulation point
Natural disaster monument Natural disaster monument Natural disaster monument

Partial list of symbols for users with visual impairment

Official symbols according to the conventions of the Geographical Survey Institute of Japan appear with a circle below.

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This section contains uncommon Unicode characters. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of the intended characters.
Symbol GSI Meaning Unicode Description
◬ ○ Base triangulation surveying point U+25EC Dot in upward-pointing triangle
○ Electronic triangulation point Dot in upward-pointing triangle with flag
⊡ ○ Benchmark U+22A1 Dot in square
⛭ ○ Factory U+26ED Gear without hub
⛯ ○ Lighthouse U+26EF Map symbol for lighthouse
⛮ ○ Power station U+26EE Gear with handles
文 ○ Elementary or junior high school U+6587 Kanji 文 (bun)
㉆ ○ High school U+3246 Kanji 文 (bun) in a circle
○ University Kanji 文 (bun) with a smaller kanji 大 (for daigaku) in brackets on top
○ Technical college Kanji 文 (bun) with a smaller kanji 専 (for senmon gakkō) in brackets on top
〶 ○ Post office U+3036 Down tack (T-shape) with overbar in circle
〒 × Sub post office (not distribution centre) U+3012 Down tack (T-shape) with overbar
⭙ ○ Police station U+2B59 Heavy circled saltire
☓ ○ Kōban (police box) U+2613 Diagonal cross (saltire)
⊕ ○ Public health centre U+2295 Greek cross in circle
⛨ ○ Hospital Greek cross in shield
⭖ ○ Prefectural Office U+26FB Oval bullseye
⭗ ○ City hall U+2B57 Heavy circle with circle inside
◉ ○ Ward office U+25C9 Fisheye
⭘ ○ Town hall U+2B58 Heavy circle
⛩ ○ Shinto shrine U+26E9 Shinto shrine torii
卍 ○ Buddhist temple U+534D Manji (swastika)
⛫ ○ Castle U+26EB Castle
⛼ ○ Cemetery U+26FC Headstone graveyard symbol
♨ ○ Onsen (hot springs) U+2668 Oval with three vertical wavy lines
⛬ ○ Historical landmark U+26EC Historic site
⛰ ○ Summit U+26F0 Mountain

See also

References

  1. ^ Bullock, Ben. "What are the symbols on Japanese maps?". scl.lang.japan FAQ. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  2. ^ Buczkowski, Aleks (18 January 2016). "Japan updates map symbols to help foreigners find their way". Geoawesome. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  3. ^ Jacobsen, Natalie (22 January 2016). "Revamped Tourist-Friendly Map Symbols Have Arrived". Tokyo Weekender. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  4. ^ "Map Symbols for "tourist information center" adopted for overseas visitors maps". Geospatial Information Authority of Japan. 20 July 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  5. ^ "Legend (for Experimental release of Japan map in multilingual notation)". GSI. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d e Data Coding and Transmission Specification for Digital Broadcasting (PDF) (ARIB Standard). 5.2-E1. Vol. 1. Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB). 2008-06-06 [1999-10-26]. ARIB STD-B24.
  7. ^ a b c "List of map symbols designed for overseas visitors (Attachment 2)" (PDF). GSI. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E2%9B%A3