King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “magic”

Romaji: mahou
magic; witchcraft; sorcery; spell

In Japanese, magic is , read (mahou).

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. adj-no, n magic; witchcraft; sorcery; spell

Kanji and stroke order

witch, demon, evil spirit
on: マ
21 strokes · JLPT 1
method, law, rule
on: ホウ、ハッ、ホッ、フラン
kun: のり
8 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “magic”

WordReadingMeaning
まじゅつ majutsumagic; sorcery; witchcraft
てじな tejinamagic (illusion); conjuring; magic trick
きじゅつ kijutsumagic; conjuring; sleight of hand
じゅじゅつ jujutsumagic; sorcery; incantation
マジック majikkumagic

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
あくま akumadevil; demon; fiend
じゃま jamahindrance; obstacle; nuisance
まじゅつ majutsumagic; sorcery; witchcraft
まほうつかい mahoutsukaimagician; wizard; sorcerer
まじょ majowitch
ほうほう houhoumethod; way; manner
ほうりつ houritsulaw; legislation; act
ほうじん houjincorporation; corporate body; company

See also: Chinese symbol for “magic”.

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.