What does ideograph mean?
An ideograph is a written character that represents meaning rather than a single sound. This distinguishes ideographic writing from an alphabet, in which letters generally correspond to individual phonemes. Ideographs are most closely associated with Chinese writing, where a character commonly represents a morpheme, and with Japanese writing, where ideographic characters are known as kanji. A kanji may represent a whole word or meaningful element, though it can also have Japanese sound readings when used in particular words. The term is sometimes used informally for any Chinese or Japanese character. Its defining feature is not necessarily that the character resembles the thing it means: unlike a pictograph, an ideograph need not have a recognizable visual connection to its referent. Ideographic systems are therefore central to discussions of literacy, writing technology, and the relationship between spoken language, visual form, and meaning.
nounA graphic character that represents a word, morpheme, or idea rather than an individual sound. Ideographs are especially associated with Chinese and Japanese writing, although the term is also used more broadly in discussions of writing systems.
- A graphic character representing a word, morpheme, or idea rather than an individual sound, especially in Chinese and Japanese writing systems.
"Each Chinese ideograph can represent a morpheme, while its pronunciation may vary according to context."
"The ideograph for a particular concept may appear in several different words."
"Researchers compared the structure of ideographic writing with alphabetic scripts."
The standard plural is “ideographs.”
"The inscription contains ideographs written in vertical columns."
Writing does not always work letter by letter: an ideograph can stand for a meaning, so one graphic sign may carry an entire word or meaningful unit.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does ideograph come from?
The word combines Greek elements associated with ἰδέα, meaning “idea” or “form,” and γράφειν, meaning “to write.” The resulting term literally suggests “writing of an idea” and was coined to describe writing signs that represent meaningful units rather than individual sounds. Its historical development reflects the comparison of non-alphabetic writing systems, particularly Chinese writing, with alphabetic scripts.
Related word forms
How ideograph is actually used
In linguistics, writing systems are often classified by whether their principal signs represent sounds, whole words, or meaningful units. In general discussion, the term is sometimes used loosely for any Chinese or Japanese character, although its traditional definition is more specific.
Easily confused with ideograph
A logogram represents a whole word or morpheme, whereas an ideograph is defined more broadly by its representation of meaning rather than sound.
A pictograph depicts the form of an object, while an ideograph may represent an idea or linguistic unit without resembling what it denotes.