King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “add”

Romaji: kuwaeru
to add; to add up; to sum up; to append

In Japanese, add is , read (kuwaeru).

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. v1, vt to add; to add up; to sum up; to append; to annex
  2. v1, vt to increase; to gather (e.g. speed); to pick up
  3. v1, vt to include; to count in; to let join
  4. v1, vt to inflict (damage); to deal; to give

Kanji and stroke order

add, addition, increase
on: カ
kun: くわ.える、くわ.わる
5 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “add”

WordReadingMeaning
たす tasuto add (numbers)
つけくわえる tsukekuwaeruto add (one thing to another); to add (a few more words, an explanation, etc.)
よせる yoseruto add (numbers)
つける tsukeruto attach; to join; to connect
つけたす tsuketasuto add (to); to add on; to append

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
さんか sankaparticipation; joining; entry
ついか tsuikaaddition; supplement; appending
ぞうか zoukaincrease; rise; growth
かこう kakoumanufacturing; processing; treatment
かにゅう kanyuujoining (a club, organization, etc.); becoming a member; entry
かめい kameijoining (an association, agreement, etc.); participation; affiliation

See also: Chinese symbol for “add”.

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.

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