Japanese symbol for “narrative”
物語
ものがたり
Romaji: monogatari
story; tale; narrative; account
In Japanese, narrative is 物語, read ものがたり (monogatari).
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 story; tale; narrative; account; fable; legend
Written forms: 物語、物語り. Readings: ものがたり.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “narrative”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 地 | じ ji | narrative (i.e. descriptive part of a story) |
| 説話 | せつわ setsuwa | tale; narrative |
| 語り物 | かたりもの katarimono | a narrative |
| ナラティブ | ナラティブ naratibu | narrative; story |
| 賦 | ふ fu | narrative (style of the Shi Jing) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 動物 | どうぶつ doubutsu | animal |
| 人物 | じんぶつ jinbutsu | person; character; figure |
| 建物 | たてもの tatemono | building |
| 物質 | ぶっしつ busshitsu | material; substance |
| 本物 | ほんもの honmono | genuine article; real thing; real deal |
| 英語 | えいご eigo | English (language) |
| 言語 | げんご gengo | language |
| 語る | かたる kataru | to talk about; to speak of; to tell |
See also: Chinese symbol for “narrative”.
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.
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