Japanese symbol for “portrait”
画像
がぞう
Romaji: gazou
image; picture; portrait
In Japanese, portrait is 画像, read がぞう (gazou).
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 image; picture; portrait
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “portrait”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 肖像 | しょうぞう shouzou | portrait; likeness; picture |
| 像 | ぞう zou | image; figure; statue |
| 似顔絵 | にがおえ nigaoe | portrait; likeness; sketch (of a face) |
| 似顔 | にがお nigao | portrait; likeness |
| ポートレート | ポートレート pootoreeto | portrait |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 企画 | きかく kikaku | planning; plan; project |
| 画面 | がめん gamen | screen (of a TV, computer, etc.) |
| 映像 | えいぞう eizou | image (on a screen); picture (e.g. on a TV) |
| 想像 | そうぞう souzou | imagination; supposition; guess |
| 仏像 | ぶつぞう butsuzou | statue of Buddha; image of Buddha; Buddhist statue |
See also: Chinese symbol for “portrait”.
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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