Japanese symbol for “copy”
原稿
げんこう
Romaji: genkou
manuscript; copy; draft; notes
In Japanese, copy is 原稿, read げんこう (genkou).
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
- n manuscript; copy; draft; notes; contribution
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “copy”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| コピー | コピー kopii | copy; photocopy |
| 写す | うつす utsusu | to copy; to duplicate; to reproduce |
| 写し | うつし utsushi | copy; duplicate; facsimile |
| 模写 | もしゃ mosha | copy (of the real thing); copying; reproduction |
| 似せる | にせる niseru | to copy; to imitate; to counterfeit |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 原因 | げんいん gen'in | cause; origin; source |
| 原作 | げんさく gensaku | original work |
| 原則 | げんそく gensoku | principle; general rule |
| 原子力 | げんしりょく genshiryoku | atomic energy; nuclear power |
| 原理 | げんり genri | principle; theory; fundamental truth |
| 投稿 | とうこう toukou | contribution (to a newspaper, magazine, etc.); submission; post (on a blog, social media, etc.) |
| 草稿 | そうこう soukou | notes; draft; manuscript |
| 寄稿 | きこう kikou | contribution (e.g. to newspaper) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “copy”.
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.