Japanese symbol for “read”
読む
よむ
Romaji: yomu
to read
In Japanese, read is 読む, read よむ (yomu).
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
- v5m, vt to read
- v5m, vt to recite (e.g. a sutra); to chant
- v5m, vt to predict; to guess; to forecast; to read (someone's thoughts); to see (e.g. into someone's heart); to divine
- v5m, vt to pronounce; to read (e.g. a kanji)
- v5m, vt to decipher; to read (a meter, graph, music, etc.); to tell (the time)
- v5m, vt to count; to estimate
Written forms: 読む、讀む、訓む. Readings: よむ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “read”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 紐解く | ひもとく himotoku | to read (a book); to open (a book) to read |
| 読み取る | よみとる yomitoru | to read (calibration, tape, etc.); to scan (bar code); to read (out) |
| 見透かす | みすかす misukasu | to see through (a lie, scheme, etc.); to see into (someone's mind); to read (someone's true feelings) |
| 見通す | みとおす mitoosu | to see into (someone's thoughts); to read (someone's feelings, intentions, etc.); to see through (e.g. someone's plans) |
| 読み込む | よみこむ yomikomu | to load (data); to read; to fetch (e.g. a CPU instruction) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 読み | よみ yomi | reading |
| 読者 | どくしゃ dokusha | reader |
| 読書 | どくしょ dokusho | reading (books) |
| 朗読 | ろうどく roudoku | reading aloud; recitation |
| 読み方 | よみかた yomikata | pronunciation; reading (e.g. of a kanji) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “read”.
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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