Japanese symbol for “says”
曰く
いわく
Romaji: iwaku
pretext; history; past; story
In Japanese, says is 曰く, read いわく (iwaku).
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 pretext; history; past; story
- adv according to ...; ... says
Written forms: 曰く、曰. Readings: いわく.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “says”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 曰わく | のたまわく notamawaku | according to ...; ... says |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 曰わく | のたまわく notamawaku | according to ...; ... says |
| 子曰く | しいわく shiiwaku | the Master said ...; Confucius said ... |
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.