Japanese symbol for “tell”
告げる
つげる
Romaji: tsugeru
to tell; to inform; to announce
In Japanese, tell is 告げる, read つげる (tsugeru).
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
- v1, vt to tell; to inform; to announce
- v1, vt to indicate; to signal; to mark
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “tell”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 示す | しめす shimesu | to (take out and) show; to demonstrate; to tell |
| 語る | かたる kataru | to talk about; to speak of; to tell |
| 物語る | ものがたる monogataru | to tell (a story); to give an account of (an event, experience, etc.); to relate |
| 話す | はなす hanasu | to tell; to explain; to narrate |
| 申し上げる | もうしあげる moushiageru | to say; to tell; to state |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 報告 | ほうこく houkoku | report; information |
| 広告 | こうこく koukoku | advertisement; advertising |
| 被告 | ひこく hikoku | defendant; the accused |
| 警告 | けいこく keikoku | warning; caution; admonition |
| 申告 | しんこく shinkoku | report; return (e.g. tax); statement |
| 予告 | よこく yokoku | (advance) notice; preliminary announcement; warning |
See also: Chinese symbol for “tell”.
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.