Japanese symbol for “explain”
説く
とく
Romaji: toku
to explain; to preach; to advocate
In Japanese, explain is 説く, read とく (toku).
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 explain; to preach; to advocate
- v5k, vt to persuade; to prevail upon; to reason with; to urge (someone to do)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “explain”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 話す | はなす hanasu | to tell; to explain; to narrate |
| 申し開らく | もうしひらく moushihiraku | to explain; to justify |
| 説き聞かせる | とききかせる tokikikaseru | to explain; to reason |
| 説き明かす | ときあかす tokiakasu | to explain; to make clear; to elucidate |
| 説き述べる | ときのべる tokinoberu | to explain |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 説明 | せつめい setsumei | explanation; exposition; description |
| 小説 | しょうせつ shousetsu | novel; story; (work of) fiction |
| 解説 | かいせつ kaisetsu | explanation; commentary; exposition |
| 伝説 | でんせつ densetsu | legend; folklore; tradition |
| 説得 | せっとく settoku | persuasion |
| 演説 | えんぜつ enzetsu | speech; address |
See also: Chinese symbol for “explain”.
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.