Japanese symbol for “invention”
発明
はつめい
Romaji: hatsumei
invention
In Japanese, invention is 発明, read はつめい (hatsumei).
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, vs, vt invention
- adj-na intelligent; clever; smart
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “invention”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 考案 | こうあん kouan | plan; device; idea |
| 創作 | そうさく sousaku | fabrication; fiction; invention |
| 工夫 | くふう kufuu | device; design; idea |
| 創製 | そうせい sousei | invention; origination; discovery |
| 案出 | あんしゅつ anshutsu | contrivance; invention |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 発売 | はつばい hatsubai | sale; offering for sale; putting on sale |
| 発表 | はっぴょう happyou | announcement; publication; presenting |
| 開発 | かいはつ kaihatsu | development; cultivation; application |
| 発生 | はっせい hassei | occurrence; incidence; outbreak |
| 発見 | はっけん hakken | discovery; detection; finding |
| 発言 | はつげん hatsugen | statement; remark; observation |
| 説明 | せつめい setsumei | explanation; exposition; description |
| 明日 | あした ashita | tomorrow |
See also: Chinese symbol for “invention”.
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.