Japanese license plates differ in size, background and text colors, and in how kanji and digits are arranged. Below is a structured guide — from plate dimensions to temporary transit plates.
Plate sizes
Vehicles over 8 t or with capacity for 30+ passengers
Exact size depends on the municipality
Vehicle type, displacement, and colors
| Type | Engine, cm³ | Plate color | Text color | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private vehicle | >600 | White | Green | Medium or large |
| Commercial vehicle | >600 | Green | White | Medium or large |
| Kei car (private) | <600 | Yellow | Black | Medium |
| Kei car (commercial) | <600 | Black | Yellow | Medium |
| Microcar | 0–49 | Azure* | Blue | Very small |
| Motorcycle | 0–49 | White* | Blue | Very small |
| Motorcycle | 50–89 | Yellow* | Blue | Very small |
| Motorcycle | 90–124 | Pink* | Blue | Very small |
| Motorcycle | 125–249 | White | Green | Small |
| Motorcycle | ≥250 | White | Green | Small |
* Illustrations below are educational examples with impossible combinations of elements.
Color schemes
Top kanji — prefecture
The two kanji at the top indicate the prefecture where the vehicle is registered. Below is a chart of 23 well-known, densely populated prefectures.
Top digits — vehicle class code
Since 1998, a three-digit number above the main line denotes the vehicle class. Example ranges:
- 100–199 — large trucks (from ~2000 cm³)
- 200–299 — passenger buses (from ~2000 cm³)
- 300–399 — passenger cars over 2000 cm³
- 400–499 — trucks, minivans, buses, SUVs
- 500–599 — passenger cars under 2000 cm³
Overall dimensions (length, width, height) also matter. Some observers suspect engine displacement is partly encoded in these digits — so far that is only anecdotal.
Bottom line — hiragana
Below the digits you get one hiragana character and four symbols (digits and dots). The allowed hiragana set depends on registration type.
Private vehicle (>600 cm³), white plate
さすせそたちつてとなにぬねのはひふほまみむめもやゆよらりるろ
Rental vehicles
れわ
Commercial (green plate)
あいうえかきくけこを
Four symbols and format
For most vehicles the serial is written as #X-XX (digit 1–9, hyphen, two digits 0–9; letters are sometimes used). The hyphen is mandatory.
Exception: if the number starts with 0, the layout changes — no hyphen; leading zeros become centered dots.
- Logical number 00 0X
- On the plate:
·· ·X(dots instead of leading zeros) - Logical number 0X XX
- On the plate:
·# XX(# = digit 1–9, X = 0–9)
Temporary transit plates
They look like regular plates but are crossed out with a red stripe. According to people in Japan:
- if the car was already registered, the four-digit number is often kept;
- if the car was just imported, the number may be assigned arbitrarily;
- prefecture at bottom right, issuing city at bottom left.
Originally transit plates let you drive to the registration office before full registration. Later, tuned cars that fail shaken inspection sometimes used them in a grey area — still better than driving with no plates at all.
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