Japanese symbol for “almost”
略
ほぼ
Romaji: hobo
almost; nearly; for the most part
In Japanese, almost is 略, read ほぼ (hobo).
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
- adv almost; nearly; for the most part
- adv roughly; approximately; about; around
Written forms: 略、粗、略〻. Readings: ほぼ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “almost”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 大体 | だいたい daitai | generally; on the whole; mostly |
| 殆ど | ほとんど hotondo | almost; nearly; mostly |
| 既に | すんでに sundeni | almost; nearly |
| 危うく | あやうく ayauku | almost; nearly |
| 半ば | なかば nakaba | mostly; almost; nearly |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 侵略 | しんりゃく shinryaku | invasion (e.g. of a country); raid; aggression |
| 戦略 | せんりゃく senryaku | strategy; tactics |
| 攻略 | こうりゃく kouryaku | capture (of enemy territory); taking (by storm); conquest |
| 省略 | しょうりゃく shouryaku | omission; leaving out |
| 策略 | さくりゃく sakuryaku | stratagem; artifice; trick |
| 略称 | りゃくしょう ryakushou | abbreviation |
See also: Chinese symbol for “almost”.
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.