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Kanji for Book
The kanji most commonly used for "Book" are 本、書、巻.
本
Kanji that mean Book
本 (hon) is the everyday word for book — and one of the most versatile characters in Japanese. It is a tree 木 with a stroke marking the root: the original sense is “origin, root, the real thing”, which is why 日本 (Japan) is the “origin of the sun”, 本物 the genuine article, and 本気 seriousness. Books took the character over as “the” bound original.
書 (sho) is writing itself — the hand with a brush. 書く is to write; 書道 is calligraphy, the way of writing; 辞書 a dictionary; 図書館 the library. Where 本 is the object, 書 is the act and the art.
巻 (kan / maki) is the volume — originally a scroll you roll up, which is also why sushi rolls are 巻き. Classical works are counted in 巻; a bookworm reads 全巻, all volumes. Together the three cover the book as thing, craft, and count.
Words using Book kanji
Everyday Japanese vocabulary built from the characters above.
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基本
きほん
basics; fundamentals; basis
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書記
しょき
clerk; secretary; writing down
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巻き返し
まきかえし
rally; recovery; comeback
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本社
ほんしゃ
head office; main office; headquarters
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文書
ぶんしょ
document; writing; letter
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巻末
かんまつ
end of a book
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本部
ほんぶ
headquarters; head office; main office
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秘書
ひしょ
(private) secretary; treasured book; secret book
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席巻
せっけん
sweeping (over, across); conquering; overwhelming
Before you use Book kanji
本 is a poor tattoo despite being a fine character — alone it reads as "origin/true" or just "book", and mostly as the grammar of a thousand compound words. 書 reads better: writing, calligraphy, the scholarly art. A reader who loves books might consider 読 (to read) or the word 読書 (reading) instead.