Japanese symbol for “real”

In Japanese, real is リアル (riaru).

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

1. adj-na real; realistic; true to life
2. adj-na serious; non-joking; earnest
3. n realtime blog (internet)
4. n real world (cf. online games or social networking services)

Other Japanese words for “real”

See also: Chinese symbol for “real”.

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.