Japanese symbol for “spell”
魔法
まほう
Romaji: mahou
magic; witchcraft; sorcery; spell
In Japanese, spell is 魔法, read まほう (mahou).
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 magic; witchcraft; sorcery; spell
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “spell”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 呪文 | じゅもん jumon | spell; charm; incantation |
| 綴る | つづる tsuzuru | to spell |
| 魔力 | まりょく maryoku | magical powers; supernatural powers; spell |
| 呪縛 | じゅばく jubaku | spell (that restricts one's movements); binding spell |
| 続き | つづき tsuzuki | succession (of); sequence; series |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 悪魔 | あくま akuma | devil; demon; fiend |
| 邪魔 | じゃま jama | hindrance; obstacle; nuisance |
| 魔術 | まじゅつ majutsu | magic; sorcery; witchcraft |
| 魔法使い | まほうつかい mahoutsukai | magician; wizard; sorcerer |
| 魔女 | まじょ majo | witch |
| 方法 | ほうほう houhou | method; way; manner |
| 法律 | ほうりつ houritsu | law; legislation; act |
| 法人 | ほうじん houjin | corporation; corporate body; company |
See also: Chinese symbol for “spell”.
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.