Japanese symbol for “designate”
呼ぶ
よぶ
Romaji: yobu
to call out (to); to call; to invoke
In Japanese, designate is 呼ぶ, read よぶ (yobu).
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
- v5b, vt to call out (to); to call; to invoke
- v5b, vt to summon (a doctor, etc.)
- v5b, vt to invite
- v5b, vt to designate; to name; to brand
- v5b, vt to garner (support, etc.); to gather
- v5b, vt to take as one's wife
Written forms: 呼ぶ、喚ぶ. Readings: よぶ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “designate”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 補す | ふす fusu | to appoint; to designate |
| 補する | ほする hosuru | to appoint; to assign; to designate |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 呼吸 | こきゅう kokyuu | breathing; respiration |
| 呼びかけ | よびかけ yobikake | call; appeal |
| 呼び名 | よびな yobina | popular name; common name; given name |
| 呼び出す | よびだす yobidasu | to call (someone) to (the door, phone, etc.); to tell (someone) to come; to call up (on the phone) |
| 呼び出し | よびだし yobidashi | call; summons; paging |
See also: Chinese symbol for “designate”.
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.