Japanese symbol for “hearsay”
噂
うわさ
Romaji: uwasa
rumour; rumor; report; hearsay
In Japanese, hearsay is 噂, read うわさ (uwasa).
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
- adj-no, n, vs rumour; rumor; report; hearsay; gossip; common talk
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “hearsay”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 話 | はなし hanashi | rumor; talk; hearsay |
| 伝聞 | でんぶん denbun | hearsay; rumor; rumour |
| 人づて | ひとづて hitozute | hearsay; hearing secondhand; hearing through the grapevine |
| 下馬評 | げばひょう gebahyou | rumor; rumour; gossip |
| 聞こえ | きこえ kikoe | reputation; renown; fame |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 噂通り | うわさどおり uwasadoori | as rumored; as rumoured |
| 噂に上る | うわさにのぼる uwasaninoboru | to be gossiped about |
| 噂を流す | うわさをながす uwasaonagasu | to spread rumors; to spread rumours |
| 噂話 | うわさばなし uwasabanashi | gossip |
| 噂を聞く | うわさをきく uwasaokiku | to hear a rumor; to get wind of |
| 浮いた噂 | ういたうわさ uitauwasa | amorous rumour (rumor); romantic gossip |
See also: Chinese symbol for “hearsay”.
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.