Japanese symbol for “approximately”
約
やく
Romaji: yaku
approximately; about
In Japanese, approximately is 約, read やく (yaku).
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 approximately; about
- n promise; appointment; engagement
- n shortening; reduction; simplification
- n contraction (in phonetics) (ling)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “approximately”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 程度 | ていど teido | degree; amount; grade |
| 位 | くらい kurai | approximately; about; around |
| 大体 | だいたい daitai | generally; on the whole; mostly |
| 許し | ばかし bakashi | approximately; about |
| 所 | ところ tokoro | approximately; around; about |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 契約 | けいやく keiyaku | contract; compact; agreement |
| 予約 | よやく yoyaku | reservation; appointment; booking |
| 約束 | やくそく yakusoku | promise; agreement; arrangement |
| 条約 | じょうやく jouyaku | treaty; pact; convention |
| 婚約 | こんやく kon'yaku | engagement; betrothal |
| 節約 | せつやく setsuyaku | saving (e.g. time, money, resources); economising; economizing |
See also: Chinese symbol for “approximately”.
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.