Japanese symbol for “meaning”
意味
いみ
Romaji: imi
meaning; significance; sense
In Japanese, meaning is 意味, read いみ (imi).
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, vs, vt meaning; significance; sense
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “meaning”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 意義 | いぎ igi | meaning; significance |
| 趣旨 | しゅし shushi | meaning; point (e.g. of a statement); gist |
| 趣 | おもむき omomuki | meaning; tenor; gist |
| 訳 | わけ wake | meaning; sense |
| 義 | ぎ gi | meaning |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 注意 | ちゅうい chuui | attention; notice; heed |
| 意識 | いしき ishiki | consciousness |
| 意見 | いけん iken | opinion; view; comment |
| 用意 | ようい youi | preparation; arrangements; provision |
| 得意 | とくい tokui | satisfaction; pride; triumph |
| 興味 | きょうみ kyoumi | interest (in something); curiosity (about something); zest (for) |
| 趣味 | しゅみ shumi | hobby; pastime |
| 味方 | みかた mikata | friend; ally; supporter |
See also: Chinese symbol for “meaning”.
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.