King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “translate”

Romaji: yakusu
to translate; to interpret

In Japanese, translate is , read (yakusu).

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. v5s, vt to translate; to interpret

Kanji and stroke order

translate, reason, circumstance
on: ヤク
kun: わけ
11 strokes · JLPT 1

Other Japanese words for “translate”

WordReadingMeaning
やくする yakusuruto translate; to interpret
なおす naosuto change; to alter; to convert
トランスレート toransureetotranslate

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
ほんやく hon'yakutranslation
もうしわけ moushiwakeapology; excuse
いいわけ iiwakeexcuse
つうやく tsuuyakuinterpretation (i.e. oral translation)
うちわけ uchiwakeitemization (of expenses); the items; breakdown

See also: Chinese symbol for “translate”.

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.