Japanese road signs – groups, meanings and how to remember them

Updated 7 October 2026

Road signs make up a large share of the Karimen, Honmen and conversion written tests. Japanese signs differ from those in many countries, and some pairs differ by a single bar. This page shows how signs are grouped, how to read colour and shape, and how to remember the look-alikes.

Two families: signs and road markings

Japan has two kinds of traffic control on the road: signs (標識, mounted on posts) and road markings (標示, painted on the surface). Both are legally binding. Signs are further split into main signs and supplementary signs.

Main signs come in 4 groups

Group	Quick recognition	Examples
Regulatory (規制標識)	Mostly circles with a red border, a red bar or a blue field; a few special shapes such as the inverted stop triangle	Road closed, no vehicles, no entry, maximum speed, no parking, stop
Instruction (指示標識)	Mostly blue squares	Pedestrian crossing, priority road, parking allowed, stop line
Warning (警戒標識)	Yellow diamonds with black border and symbol	Crossroads ahead, curves, railway crossing, children, slippery road
Guide (案内標識)	Blue on ordinary roads, green on expressways	Place names, directions and distances, expressway entrances, rest areas

Supplementary signs (補助標識)

Supplementary plates are small, usually white, and sit under a main sign to limit its scope: hours (for example 8–20), days, exempt vehicle types, distance ("150 m ahead") or area ("ends here"). A classic trap: the main sign applies only as the plate says, so outside the hours shown it does not apply.

Look-alike signs to learn in pairs

Road closed vs no vehicles: road closed (red X with 通行止) bans pedestrians, vehicles and trams. No vehicles (a single red diagonal bar on white) bans vehicles only; pedestrians may still pass. No entry (a white horizontal bar on red) only bans entering from the side the sign faces.
No parking vs no stopping or parking: one diagonal bar means no parking (a short stop to let people in or out is fine); two bars in an X mean no stopping or parking at all.
Stop vs slow down: both are inverted triangles. Stop (止まれ) is filled red with white letters: you must stop fully before the line. Slow down (徐行) is white with a red border and blue letters: drop to a speed at which you can stop at once, but stopping is not required.
Maximum vs minimum speed: maximum speed is a red-bordered circle with blue numbers; minimum speed is a blue circle with white numbers underlined.
White solid, white broken and yellow centre lines: a yellow centre line means you may not cross to the right to overtake; a broken white line lets you cross when it is safe.

Open a library of more than 200 signs and road markings and practise recognising them from pictures.

Study and take a free mock test

5 free mock exams for every test type. Opens in your browser, nothing to install.

Key road markings

Stop line: a white line across the lane where you stop for a red light or a stop sign.
Pedestrian crossing and the white diamond that warns of a crossing ahead. When you see the diamond, get ready to slow down.
No-entry zone (yellow stripes inside a yellow frame): vehicles may not drive into this part of the road.
Yellow kerb lines: a solid line means no stopping or parking, a broken line means no parking.
Lane direction arrows near intersections: you must go in the direction shown for your lane.

How to remember signs

Learn the colour and shape rules first: red-bordered circle means a ban, yellow diamond means a warning, blue square means an instruction. Even with an unfamiliar sign in the test, you can tell its group.
Study look-alikes in pairs, side by side, and find the difference.
Always read the supplementary plate: questions often change the hours, the vehicle type or the scope.
Look, guess, then check. This sticks far better than reading a list.
Revisit the signs you miss a few days later until you know them at a glance.

The sign library in ViMai Menkyo

ViMai Menkyo has more than 200 road signs and road markings, redrawn to stay sharp on a phone. Each sign comes with its meaning in English, what you may not do, a memory tip and a list of look-alikes to compare. Recognition practice tracks how well you know each sign, and the ones you miss come back more often.

Signs are shared by all three tests: Karimen, Honmen and licence conversion.

Frequently asked questions

What does a stop sign look like in Japan?

The Japanese stop sign (止まれ) is a red inverted triangle with white lettering. You must stop completely just before the stop line, even when no traffic is visible.

What is the difference between the no-parking and no-stopping signs?

Both are blue circles with a red border. No parking has a single red diagonal bar; no stopping or parking has two red bars forming an X.

What are supplementary signs for?

Supplementary plates sit under a main sign and state the times, vehicle types, distance or area where it applies. The main sign only applies within what the plate says.