Japanese symbol for “puppet”
人形
にんぎょう
Romaji: ningyou
doll; puppet; marionette
In Japanese, puppet is 人形, read にんぎょう (ningyou).
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 doll; puppet; marionette
- n puppet (person under the control of another); straw man; yes-man
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “puppet”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 操り | あやつり ayatsuri | manipulation; puppet |
| 傀儡 | かいらい kairai | puppet; marionette |
| ロボット | ロボット robotto | (mere) puppet; pawn; figurehead |
| 操り人形 | あやつりにんぎょう ayatsuriningyou | puppet; marionette |
| 木偶の坊 | でくのぼう dekunobou | doll; puppet |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 人間 | にんげん ningen | human being; human; person |
| 個人 | こじん kojin | individual; private person; personal |
| 人気 | にんき ninki | popularity; public favor |
| 人生 | じんせい jinsei | (one's) life |
| 人々 | ひとびと hitobito | people; men and women |
| 大人 | おとな otona | adult; grown-up |
| 形式 | けいしき keishiki | form (as opposed to substance) |
| 形成 | けいせい keisei | formation; molding; making (up) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “puppet”.
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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