Japanese symbol for “mahabharata”

摩訶婆羅多

マハーバーラタ

Romaji: mahaabaarata

Mahabharata (Sanskrit Hindu epic, ca. 400 CE)

In Japanese, mahabharata is 摩訶婆羅多, read マハーバーラタ (mahaabaarata).

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 Mahabharata (Sanskrit Hindu epic, ca. 400 CE)

Kanji and stroke order

摩

chafe, rub, polish

on: マ
kun: ま.する、さす.る、す.る

15 strokes · JLPT 1

訶

scold

on: カ
kun: しか.る、せ.める

12 strokes

婆

old woman, grandma, wet nurse

on: バ
kun: ばば、ばあ

11 strokes · JLPT 1

羅

gauze, thin silk, Rome

on: ラ
kun: うすもの

19 strokes · JLPT 1

多

many, frequent, much

on: タ
kun: おお.い、まさ.に、まさ.る

6 strokes · JLPT 4

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
摩擦	まさつ masatsu	friction
摩天楼	まてんろう matenrou	skyscraper
摩耗	まもう mamou	wear; abrasion
薩摩	さつま satsuma	Satsuma (former province located in the west of present-day Kagoshima Prefecture)
志摩	しま shima	Shima (former province located at the eastern tip of present-day Mie Prefecture)
あん摩	あんま anma	massage (esp. anma, a traditional form of Japanese massage)
摩訶	まか maka	greatness; enormity; superiority
薩婆訶	そわか sowaka	so-wa-ka; well said; so be it
老婆	ろうば rouba	old woman
網羅	もうら moura	encompassing; covering (exhaustively); including (all of)
多数	たすう tasuu	large number (of); many

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.