Japanese symbol for “saying”
格言
かくげん
Romaji: kakugen
saying; maxim; aphorism; proverb
In Japanese, saying is 格言, read かくげん (kakugen).
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
- adj-no, n saying; maxim; aphorism; proverb
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “saying”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| セイ | セイ sei | saying; speaking |
| 句 | く ku | maxim; saying; idiom |
| 諺 | ことわざ kotowaza | proverb; saying; aphorism |
| 俚諺 | りげん rigen | proverb; saying |
| 言い習わし | いいならわし iinarawashi | idiom; set phrase; habit of speech |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 価格 | かかく kakaku | price; value; cost |
| 性格 | せいかく seikaku | character (of a person); personality; disposition |
| 資格 | しかく shikaku | qualifications; requirements; capabilities |
| 合格 | ごうかく goukaku | passing (an exam); pass; success |
| 格好 | かっこう kakkou | shape; form; figure |
| 格差 | かくさ kakusa | qualitative difference; disparity; gap |
| 言う | いう iu | to say; to utter; to declare |
| 言葉 | ことば kotoba | language; dialect |
See also: Chinese symbol for “saying”.
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.