Japanese symbol for “acquaintance”
知り合い
しりあい
Romaji: shiriai
acquaintance
In Japanese, acquaintance is 知り合い, read しりあい (shiriai).
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
- n acquaintance
Written forms: 知り合い、知合い、知りあい、知り合. Readings: しりあい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “acquaintance”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 知人 | ちじん chijin | friend; acquaintance |
| 交際 | こうさい kousai | company; friendship; association |
| 近づき | ちかづき chikazuki | acquaintance; making someone's acquaintance |
| 面識 | めんしき menshiki | acquaintance |
| ご存知 | ごぞんじ gozonji | (an) acquaintance |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 知る | しる shiru | to know; to be aware (of); to be conscious (of) |
| 知識 | ちしき chishiki | knowledge; information |
| ご存知 | ごぞんじ gozonji | knowing; being aware (of) |
| 知事 | ちじ chiji | prefectural governor |
| 通知 | つうち tsuuchi | notice; notification; report |
| 場合 | ばあい baai | case; occasion; situation |
| 試合 | しあい shiai | match; game; bout |
| 総合 | そうごう sougou | synthesis; combination; integration |
See also: Chinese symbol for “acquaintance”.
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.