Japanese symbol for “ancestry”
流れ
ながれ
Romaji: nagare
flow (of a fluid or gas); stream; current
In Japanese, ancestry is 流れ, read ながれ (nagare).
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 flow (of a fluid or gas); stream; current
- n flow (of people, things); passage (of time); tide; passing; (changing) trends; tendency
- n course (of events); (step-by-step) procedure; process
- n group of people who remain together after the end of an event
- n descent; ancestry; school
- n forfeiture; foreclosure (finc)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “ancestry”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 血 | ち chi | blood; ancestry; lineage |
| 系統 | けいとう keitou | lineage; ancestry; family line |
| 出自 | しゅつじ shutsuji | descent; lineage; ancestry |
| ルーツ | ルーツ ruutsu | one's roots; ancestry |
| 筋縄 | すじなわ sujinawa | lineage; pedigree; ancestry |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 交流 | こうりゅう kouryuu | exchange (e.g. cultural); interchange; interaction |
| 流行 | りゅうこう ryuukou | fashion; trend; vogue |
| 流通 | りゅうつう ryuutsuu | circulation (of money, goods, etc.); distribution |
| 流し | ながし nagashi | sink (e.g. in a kitchen) |
| 流す | ながす nagasu | to drain; to pour; to run |
See also: Chinese symbol for “ancestry”.
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.