King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “receive”

Romaji: ukeru
to receive; to get

In Japanese, receive is , read (ukeru).

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. v1, vt to receive; to get
  2. v1, vt to catch (e.g. a ball)
  3. v1, vt to be struck by (wind, waves, sunlight, etc.)
  4. v1, vt to sustain (damage); to incur (a loss); to suffer (an injury); to feel (influence)
  5. v1, vt to undergo (e.g. surgery); to take (a test); to accept (a challenge)
  6. v1, vt to be given (e.g. life, talent)

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

accept, undergo, answer (phone)
on: ジュ
kun: う.ける、-う.け、う.かる
8 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “receive”

WordReadingMeaning
うけとる uketoruto receive; to get; to accept
もらう morauto receive; to take; to accept
うけいれる ukeireruto accept; to receive; to agree
むかえる mukaeruto go out to meet; to receive; to welcome
いただく itadakuto receive; to get; to accept

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
じゅけん jukentaking an examination (esp. for entrance to a school or university)
うけ ukepopularity; favour; favor
うけつけ uketsukereception (desk); information desk; receptionist
じゅしん jushinreceiving (a message, letter, email, etc.); reception (radio, TV, etc.)
うけいれ ukeirereceiving; acceptance; reception

See also: Chinese symbol for “receive”.

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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