Japanese symbol for “imitation”
偽
にせ
Romaji: nise
imitation; fake; phony; counterfeit
In Japanese, imitation is 偽, read にせ (nise).
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 imitation; fake; phony; counterfeit; forged; bogus
- pref pseudo-
Written forms: 偽、贋. Readings: にせ、ニセ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “imitation”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 模倣 | もほう mohou | imitation; copying |
| 模擬 | もぎ mogi | imitation |
| 模造 | もぞう mozou | imitation; counterfeit; fake |
| 偽物 | にせもの nisemono | spurious article; forgery; counterfeit |
| 人造 | じんぞう jinzou | artificial; man-made; imitation |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 偽造 | ぎぞう gizou | forgery; counterfeiting; fabrication |
| 偽装 | ぎそう gisou | camouflage; disguise |
| 偽物 | にせもの nisemono | spurious article; forgery; counterfeit |
| 真偽 | しんぎ shingi | truth or falsehood; genuineness; authenticity |
| 虚偽 | きょぎ kyogi | falsehood; untruth; lie |
| 偽り | いつわり itsuwari | lie; falsehood; fiction |
See also: Chinese symbol for “imitation”.
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.