King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “chant”

Romaji: tonaeru
to recite; to chant

In Japanese, chant is , read (tonaeru).

Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.

Meanings

  1. v1, vt to recite; to chant
  2. v1, vt to cry; to yell; to shout
  3. v1, vt to advocate; to advance; to preach; to insist

Kanji and stroke order

chant, recite, call upon
on: ショウ
kun: とな.える
11 strokes · JLPT 1

Other Japanese words for “chant”

WordReadingMeaning
よむ yomuto recite (e.g. a sutra); to chant
かたる kataruto recite; to chant
せいか seikasacred song; hymn; chant
チャント chanto(religious) chant
うたう utauto chant (a noh text)

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
がっしょう gasshousinging together; singing in union; chorus
ていしょう teishouadvocacy; proposal
かしょう kashousong; singing
しょうか shoukasinging; song
どくしょう dokushouvocal solo

See also: Chinese symbol for “chant”.

Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.