Japanese symbol for “brevity”
簡
かん
Romaji: kan
simplicity; brevity
In Japanese, brevity is 簡, read かん (kan).
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 simplicity; brevity
- n letter; note; correspondence
- n bamboo writing strip (in ancient China)
- n simplified Chinese character
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “brevity”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 短さ | みじかさ mijikasa | brevity; shortness |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 簡単 | かんたん kantan | simple; easy; uncomplicated |
| 簡易 | かんい kan'i | simple; simplified |
| 書簡 | しょかん shokan | letter; note; epistle |
| 簡素 | かんそ kanso | simple; plain; modest |
| 簡潔 | かんけつ kanketsu | concise; brief; succinct |
| 簡略 | かんりゃく kanryaku | simple; brief |
See also: Chinese symbol for “brevity”.
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.