Japanese symbol for “likening”

見立て

みたて

Romaji: mitate

choice; selection

In Japanese, likening is 見立て, read みたて (mitate).

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 choice; selection
n diagnosis; medical opinion
n judgement; opinion; estimation
n comparison (in haiku, tanka, etc.); likening

Kanji and stroke order

見

see, hopes, chances

on: ケン
kun: み.る、み.える、み.せる

7 strokes · JLPT 4

立

stand up, rise, set up

on: リツ、リュウ、リットル
kun: た.つ、-た.つ、た.ち-、た.てる

5 strokes · JLPT 4

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
見る	みる miru	to see; to look; to watch
発見	はっけん hakken	discovery; detection; finding
意見	いけん iken	opinion; view; comment
見える	みえる mieru	to be seen; to be visible; to be in sight
見かけ	みかけ mikake	outward appearance
会見	かいけん kaiken	interview; audience; meeting
立場	たちば tachiba	position; situation
独立	どくりつ dokuritsu	independence; self-reliance; supporting oneself

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.