Japanese symbol for “effigy”

似姿

にすがた

Romaji: nisugata

effigy; likeness; portrait; statue

In Japanese, effigy is 似姿, read にすがた (nisugata).

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 effigy; likeness; portrait; statue

Kanji and stroke order

似

becoming, resemble, counterfeit

on: ジ
kun: に.る、ひ.る

7 strokes · JLPT 2

姿

figure, form, shape

on: シ
kun: すがた

9 strokes · JLPT 1

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
類似	るいじ ruiji	resemblance; similarity; likeness
似合う	にあう niau	to suit; to match; to become
真似	まね mane	imitating; copying; mimicry
似合い	にあい niai	well-matched (esp. of a couple); becoming; suitable
似る	にる niru	to resemble; to look like; to be like
疑似	ぎじ giji	pseudo; quasi; false
姿勢	しせい shisei	posture; pose; position
容姿	ようし youshi	(physical) appearance (of a person); one's face and figure

See also: Chinese symbol for “effigy”.

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.