Japanese symbol for “matter”
事
こと
Romaji: koto
thing; matter
In Japanese, matter is 事, read こと (koto).
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 thing; matter
- n incident; occurrence; event; something serious; trouble; crisis
- n circumstances; situation; state of affairs
- n work; business; affair
- n after an inflectable word, creates a noun phrase indicating something the speaker does not feel close to
- n-suf nominalizing suffix
Written forms: 事、縡. Readings: こと.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “matter”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 件 | けん ken | matter; affair; case |
| 内容 | ないよう naiyou | contents; content; substance |
| 事項 | じこう jikou | matter; item; facts |
| 課題 | かだい kadai | subject; theme; issue |
| 事柄 | ことがら kotogara | matter; thing; affair |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 仕事 | しごと shigoto | work; job; labor |
| 事件 | じけん jiken | event; affair; incident |
| 記事 | きじ kiji | article; news story; report |
| 事業 | じぎょう jigyou | business; enterprise; venture |
| 事故 | じこ jiko | accident; incident; trouble |
| 事実 | じじつ jijitsu | fact; truth; reality |
See also: Chinese symbol for “matter”.
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.
Last posts
- Choosing a Training Sword for Stage and Historical Combat
- Best Wooden Swords for Kids Starting Martial Arts Forms
- Are Wooden Kung Fu Swords Balanced Like Real Steel Blades
- Buying a Wooden Jian for Beginners
- Choosing a Bokken with Scabbard for Iaido Beginners
- Is a Plastic Saya Worth Adding to a Bokken for Drawing?
- Choosing the Best Aikido Bokken for Daily Training
- Choosing the Best Heavy Bokken for Suburi Training
- Are Bamboo Practice Swords Safer Than Wooden Ones
- Choosing the Best Wooden Sword Stand for Your Collection