Japanese symbol for “say”
言う
いう
Romaji: iu
to say; to utter; to declare
In Japanese, say is 言う, read いう (iu).
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
- v5u, vt to say; to utter; to declare
- v5u, vt to name; to call
- v5u, vi to go (e.g. "the alarm went ping"); to make a noise
Written forms: 言う、云う、謂う. Readings: いう、ゆう.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “say”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 申し上げる | もうしあげる moushiageru | to say; to tell; to state |
| あの | あの ano | say; well; um |
| 申す | もうす mousu | to say; to be called |
| 仰る | おっしゃる ossharu | to say; to speak; to tell |
| 述べる | のべる noberu | to state; to express; to say |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 言葉 | ことば kotoba | language; dialect |
| 発言 | はつげん hatsugen | statement; remark; observation |
| 宣言 | せんげん sengen | declaration; proclamation; announcement |
| 言語 | げんご gengo | language |
| 一言 | ひとこと hitokoto | single word; a few words; brief comment |
See also: Chinese symbol for “say”.
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.