King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “language”

Romaji: kotoba
language; dialect

In Japanese, language is , read (kotoba).

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

  1. n language; dialect
  2. n word; phrase; expression; term
  3. n speech; (manner of) speaking; (use of) language
  4. n words; remark; statement; comment
  5. n learning to speak; language acquisition

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

say, word
on: ゲン、ゴン
kun: い.う、こと
7 strokes · JLPT 4
leaf, plane, lobe
on: ヨウ
kun: は
12 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “language”

WordReadingMeaning
げんご gengolanguage
いいかた iikataway of saying (something); way of putting it; wording
ご golanguage
ラング rangulanguage
げんじ genjilanguage; speech

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
いう iuto say; to utter; to declare
はつげん hatsugenstatement; remark; observation
せんげん sengendeclaration; proclamation; announcement
げんご gengolanguage
ひとこと hitokotosingle word; a few words; brief comment
こうよう kouyouleaves turning red (in autumn); red leaves; autumn colours
えはがき ehagakipicture postcard
はっぱ happaleaf; blade (of grass); (pine) needle

See also: Chinese symbol for “language”.

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.

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