Japanese symbol for “depict”
描く
えがく
Romaji: egaku
to draw; to paint; to sketch
In Japanese, depict is 描く, read えがく (egaku).
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
- v5k, vt to draw; to paint; to sketch
- v5k, vt to depict; to describe
- v5k, vt to picture in one's mind; to imagine
- v5k, vt to form a certain shape (e.g. path of an action, appearance of an object, etc.)
Written forms: 描く、画く. Readings: えがく、かく.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “depict”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 写す | うつす utsusu | to describe; to depict; to portray |
| 映し出す | うつしだす utsushidasu | to portray; to depict; to describe |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 描写 | びょうしゃ byousha | depiction; description; portrayal |
| 素描 | そびょう sobyou | drawing; sketch |
| 手描き | てがき tegaki | hand-drawn; drawn by hand; hand-painted |
| 描き出す | えがきだす egakidasu | to delineate; to draw; to express |
| 思い描く | おもいえがく omoiegaku | to imagine; to picture; to figure |
See also: Chinese symbol for “depict”.
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.