Japanese symbol for “know”
知る
しる
Romaji: shiru
to know; to be aware (of); to be conscious (of); to learn (of)
In Japanese, know is 知る, read しる (shiru).
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
- v5r, vt to know; to be aware (of); to be conscious (of); to learn (of); to find out; to discover
- v5r, vt to sense; to feel; to notice; to realize
- v5r, vt to understand; to comprehend; to grasp; to appreciate
- v5r, vt to remember; to be familiar with; to be acquainted with
- v5r, vt to experience; to go through; to know (e.g. hardship)
- v5r, vt to get acquainted with (a person); to get to know
Written forms: 知る、識る. Readings: しる.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “know”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 心得る | こころえる kokoroeru | to know; to understand; to be aware of |
| 承る | うけたまわる uketamawaru | to hear; to be told; to know |
| 存じる | ぞんじる zonjiru | to know; to be aware (of); to be acquainted (with) |
| 味わう | あじわう ajiwau | to experience; to go through; to taste (e.g. victory) |
| ノウ | ノウ nou | know; knowing; understanding |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 知識 | ちしき chishiki | knowledge; information |
| ご存知 | ごぞんじ gozonji | knowing; being aware (of) |
| 知事 | ちじ chiji | prefectural governor |
| 知り合い | しりあい shiriai | acquaintance |
| 通知 | つうち tsuuchi | notice; notification; report |
See also: Chinese symbol for “know”.
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.