Japanese symbol for “hear”
聞く
きく
Romaji: kiku
to hear
In Japanese, hear is 聞く, read きく (kiku).
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 hear
- v5k, vt to listen (e.g. to music)
- v5k, vt to ask; to enquire; to query
- v5k, vt to hear about; to hear of; to learn of
- v5k, vt to follow (advice, order, etc.); to obey; to listen to; to comply with
- v5k, vt to hear (e.g. a plea); to grant (a request); to accept (e.g. an argument); to give consideration to
Written forms: 聞く、聴く. Readings: きく.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “hear”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 承る | うけたまわる uketamawaru | to hear; to be told; to know |
| 接する | せっする sessuru | to receive (news); to get; to hear |
| 伺う | うかがう ukagau | to hear; to be told |
| ヒア | ヒア hia | hear |
| 聞きつける | ききつける kikitsukeru | to hear; to catch (the sound of something) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 新聞 | しんぶん shinbun | newspaper |
| 聞こえる | きこえる kikoeru | to be heard; to be audible; to reach one's ears |
| 聞き手 | ききて kikite | hearer; listener; audience |
| 聞き取り | ききとり kikitori | listening comprehension; aural comprehension |
| 聞こえ | きこえ kikoe | being able to hear something (clearly); clearness of a sound; reception (e.g. of a radio station) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “hear”.
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.