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.

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.

Symbol Meaning (English) Illustration
Municipal building (city or ward level)
Municipal building (town or village level)
Courthouse or building
Fire station
Police station
Kōban (police box)
Public health center
Post office
Meteorological observatory
Forest service office
Government office building
Elementary or junior highschool
High school
Junior college
Technical college
College or university
Museum
Library
Shinto shrine
Temple
Plant or factory
Hospital
Military (JSDF) base
Oil or gas well
Power station
Nursing home
Castle
Chimney
Volcanic crater or Fumarole
Radio tower
TV tower
Place of historic, cultural, or scenic interest
Monument
Wind turbine or farm
Lighthouse
Hardwood forest or woods
Coniferous forest or woods
Palm trees
Bamboo grove
Dwarf pine forest or woods
Fields
Paddies
Orchard
Tea plantation
Mulberry orchard
Other plantation
Marsh or Grassland
Graveyard or cemetery
Mine
Pit head
Quarry
Onsen (hot spring)
Major port
Minor port
Fishing port
Ferry (car carrier)
Ferry
Benchmark
Fixed GPS survey point (Electronic triangulation point)
Triangulation point
Natural disaster monument