Japanese symbol for “painting”
絵画
かいが
Romaji: kaiga
painting; picture
In Japanese, painting is 絵画, read かいが (kaiga).
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 painting; picture
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “painting”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 絵 | え e | picture; drawing; painting |
| 塗装 | とそう tosou | coating; painting |
| 彩色 | さいしき saishiki | colouring; coloring; colouration |
| 画業 | がぎょう gagyou | painting (as a profession); being a painter |
| 図画 | ずが zuga | drawing; painting; picture |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 絵本 | えほん ehon | picture book |
| 絵葉書 | えはがき ehagaki | picture postcard |
| 絵の具 | えのぐ enogu | paint; coloring materials; colors |
| 油絵 | あぶらえ aburae | oil painting |
| 絵柄 | えがら egara | pattern; design |
| 映画 | えいが eiga | movie; film; motion picture |
| 漫画 | まんが manga | cartoon; comic; comic strip |
| 計画 | けいかく keikaku | plan; project; schedule |
See also: Chinese symbol for “painting”.
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.