Japanese symbol for “riddle”
謎
なぞ
Romaji: nazo
riddle; puzzle; enigma; mystery
In Japanese, riddle is 謎, read なぞ (nazo).
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 riddle; puzzle; enigma; mystery
- adj-no enigmatic; mysterious
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “riddle”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 謎々 | なぞなぞ nazonazo | riddle; puzzle; enigma |
| 当て物 | あてもの atemono | riddle; guessing (game) |
| 判じ物 | はんじもの hanjimono | puzzle; riddle |
| 篩う | ふるう furuu | to sieve (e.g. flour); to sift; to riddle |
| 考え物 | かんがえもの kangaemono | puzzle; riddle |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 謎々 | なぞなぞ nazonazo | riddle; puzzle; enigma |
| 謎解き | なぞとき nazotoki | solving a riddle; solving a mystery |
| 謎めく | なぞめく nazomeku | to be enigmatic; to be puzzling; to be wrapped in mystery |
| 謎かけ | なぞかけ nazokake | telling a riddle |
| 謎を解く | なぞをとく nazootoku | to solve a mystery |
| 謎い | なぞい nazoi | mystifying; puzzling; perplexing |
See also: Chinese symbol for “riddle”.
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.