Japanese symbol for “overhear”
小耳
こみみ
Romaji: komimi
overhear; happened to hear that
In Japanese, overhear is 小耳, read こみみ (komimi).
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 overhear; happened to hear that
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “overhear”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 漏れ聞く | もれきく morekiku | to overhear; to hear (secondhand); to hear on the grapevine |
| 小耳に挟む | こみみにはさむ komiminihasamu | to happen to hear; to overhear |
| 耳に挟む | みみにはさむ miminihasamu | to happen to hear; to overhear |
| 聞きつける | ききつける kikitsukeru | to hear about (rumour, etc.); to overhear; to learn of (something) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 小説 | しょうせつ shousetsu | novel; story; (work of) fiction |
| 小学校 | しょうがっこう shougakkou | primary school; elementary school; grade school |
| 小学生 | しょうがくせい shougakusei | elementary school student; primary school student; grade school student |
| 小型 | こがた kogata | small-sized; small-scale; miniature |
| 小さい | ちいさい chiisai | small; little; tiny |
| 縮小 | しゅくしょう shukushou | reduction; curtailment; cut |
| 耳元 | みみもと mimimoto | close to the ear |
| 耳目 | じもく jimoku | eyes and ears; seeing and hearing |
See also: Chinese symbol for “overhear”.
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.