How to say 'Riddle' or 'Mystery' in Japanese | 謎

Wondering how to say 'Riddle' or 'Mystery' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Riddle or Mystery is 'Nazo', written as 謎 in Japanese.'Riddle' or 'Mystery' in hiragana is なぞ.

word

謎

Meaning

Riddle, Mystery

Reading

なぞ

nazo

Kanji

謎Riddle

Explanation

The Japanese noun '謎 (なぞ)' can mean either 'riddle' or 'mystery', depending on the context. When used to mean 'riddle', it refers to a question or statement intentionally phrased to require ingenuity in finding its answer or meaning. For example: solving a riddle「謎を解く」(なぞをとく). When used to mean 'mystery', it refers to something that is difficult or impossible to understand or explain. For example: the mystery of the universe「宇宙の謎」(うちゅうのなぞ). The word can also be used metaphorically to describe something puzzling or enigmatic in everyday situations. For example: her behavior is a mystery「彼女の行動は謎だ」(かのじょのこうどうはなぞだ).

Part Of Speech

noun

Kanji JLPT

Unknown

Kanji Grade

Frequency

4078

Composition

kanji

Handwriting

Kanji in the Word 謎

This word contains 1 kanji character:

kanji

謎

Meaning

Riddle

Learn the Word 謎

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What does 'Nazo' (謎) mean?

'Nazo' means 'Riddle' or 'Mystery' .

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