Japanese symbol for “understand”
分かる
わかる
Romaji: wakaru
to understand; to comprehend; to grasp; to see
In Japanese, understand is 分かる, read わかる (wakaru).
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
- v5r, vi to understand; to comprehend; to grasp; to see; to get; to follow
- v5r, vi to become clear; to be known; to be discovered; to be realized (realised); to be found out; to make sense
- int I know!; I think so too!
Written forms: 分かる、解る、判る、分る. Readings: わかる.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “understand”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 知る | しる shiru | to understand; to comprehend; to grasp |
| 解する | かいする kaisuru | to understand; to appreciate |
| 取る | とる toru | to take (e.g. a joke); to interpret; to understand |
| 心得る | こころえる kokoroeru | to know; to understand; to be aware of |
| 聞き取る | ききとる kikitoru | to catch (someone's words); to make out; to follow |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 自分 | じぶん jibun | myself; yourself; oneself |
| 部分 | ぶぶん bubun | portion; section; part |
| 気分 | きぶん kibun | feeling; mood |
| 半分 | はんぶん hanbun | half |
| 分野 | ぶんや bun'ya | field; sphere; realm |
| 多分 | たぶん tabun | probably; likely; perhaps |
See also: Chinese symbol for “understand”.
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.