Symbols & Signs

Most of us go through our daily lives without noticing how many signs and symbols we use. When you move to another country, it can be a shock realizing you suddenly don't know what the signs and symbols around you mean.

Look though this section to help you understand the symbols you find on the tags in your clothing for laundering instructions, and the meaning of road signs to keep you safe.

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Japanese Laundry Symbols & Road Signs

Laundry Symbols

Symbols and numbers are used to describe the suggested laundering method for articles of clothing on the tag. These are the five basic laundry symbols. They will have other elements added to convey further meaning below.

The symbols were updated in December, 2016, so the previous version is included for your reference.

Base Symbol	Meaning
	Machine-wash
	Bleach
	Tumble Dry
	Iron
	Dry Clean

The following are common combinations of base symbols and modifiers. Old symbols are included for your reference.

- Washing -

Base Symbol	Meaning	Note
No line	Regular wash
	Gentle wash
	Gentler wash or hand wash	More lines = gentler wash
	Hand wash in water up to 40 degrees Celsius	New Symbol
	Hand wash in water up to the degrees marked on symbol	Old Symbol
	Do not machine wash	New Symbol
	Do not machine wash	Old Symbol
	Chlorine bleach, Oxygen bleach OK
	Oxygen bleach OK NO chlorine bleach
	No bleach of any kind
	Chlorine bleach OK	Old Symbol
	NO chlorine bleach	Old Symbol
	Machine wash in maximum water temperature displayed	Old Symbol
	Machine wash in maximum water temperature displayed	New Symbol

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- Drying -

Base Symbol	Meaning	Note
	Tumble dry up to 80-degree heat. Marked 強 in domestic clothes dryers.
	Tumble dry up to 60-degree heat. Marked 弱 in domestic clothes dryers.
	Do NOT tumble dry.
	Line dry/hang dry	New Symbol
	Line dry/hang dry	Old Symbol
	Line dry/hang dry in the shade	New Symbol
	Line dry/hang dry in the shade	Old Symbol
	Lay flat to dry	New Symbol
	Lay flat to dry	Old Symbol
	Lay flat to dry in the shade	New Symbol
	Lay flat to dry in the shade	Old Symbol

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- Ironing -

Base Symbol	Meaning	Note
	Iron up to 200 degrees (high)	New Symbol
	Iron between 180 and 210 degrees	Old Symbol
	Iron up to 150 degrees (medium)	New Symbol
	Iron between 140 and 160 degrees (medium)	Old Symbol
	Iron up to 110 degrees (low)	New Symbol
	Iron between 80 and 120 degrees (low)	Old Symbol
	Do NOT iron	New Symbol
	Do NOT iron	Old Symbol

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- Dry clean ONLY -

Base Symbol	Meaning	Note
	Perchloroethylene and Petroleum-based solvent dry cleaning	New Symbol
	Perchloroethylene and Petroleum-based solvent dry cleaning	Old Symbol
	Perchloroethylene and Petroleum-based solvent SOFT dry cleaning	New Symbol
	Petroleum-based solvent dry cleaning	New Symbol
	Petroleum-based solvent dry cleaning	Old Symbol
	Petroleum-based solvent SOFT dry cleaning	New Symbol
	Do NOT dry clean	New Symbol
	Do NOT dry clean	Old Symbol

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Japanese Road Signs

Road Signs

The following road signs are the most common that you will come across. Please take note of them whether you drive or not in order to be safe and follow the law.

Base Symbol	Meaning
	Road closed to all
	Road closed to vehicles
	No entry　 Cars and motorcycles
	No bicycles
	Bicycles and pedestrians only
	Pedestrians only
	Slow
	Stop
	Road closed to pedestrians
	No pedestrian crossing
	Railroad crossing ahead
	School Zone
	Construction ahead
	Crosswalk ahead
	School Crossing
	From this point
	Up to this point