King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “summon”

Romaji: yobu
to call out (to); to call; to invoke

In Japanese, summon is , read (yobu).

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

  1. v5b, vt to call out (to); to call; to invoke
  2. v5b, vt to summon (a doctor, etc.)
  3. v5b, vt to invite
  4. v5b, vt to designate; to name; to brand
  5. v5b, vt to garner (support, etc.); to gather
  6. v5b, vt to take as one's wife

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

call, call out to, invite
on: コ
kun: よ.ぶ
8 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “summon”

WordReadingMeaning
よびだす yobidasuto call (someone) to (the door, phone, etc.); to tell (someone) to come; to call up (on the phone)
めす mesuto call; to summon; to send for
むかえる mukaeruto call for; to summon; to invite
よびよせる yobiyoseruto call; to summon; to send for
ひきだす hikidasuto lead out (e.g. a horse from a stable); to summon (e.g. to court); to bring (e.g. someone to the negotiating table)

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
こきゅう kokyuubreathing; respiration
よびかけ yobikakecall; appeal
よびな yobinapopular name; common name; given name
よびだす yobidasuto call (someone) to (the door, phone, etc.); to tell (someone) to come; to call up (on the phone)
よびだし yobidashicall; summons; paging

See also: Chinese symbol for “summon”.

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.

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