Japanese symbol for “caress”
撫でる
なでる
Romaji: naderu
to stroke; to caress; to brush gently; to pet
In Japanese, caress is 撫でる, read なでる (naderu).
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
- v1, vt to stroke; to caress; to brush gently; to pet; to pat; to rub
- v1, vt to comb (hair); to smooth down
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “caress”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 撫でさする | なでさする nadesasuru | to caress; to stroke |
| 撫で回す | なでまわす nademawasu | to pat (e.g. a dog); to rub; to stroke |
| 愛おしむ | いとおしむ itooshimu | to love; to be attached to; to cherish |
| 撫する | ぶする busuru | to stroke; to caress |
| 撫ぜる | なぜる nazeru | to brush gently; to stroke; to caress |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 愛撫 | あいぶ aibu | caressing; fondling; (sexual) petting |
| 撫子 | なでしこ nadeshiko | pink (any flower of genus Dianthus, esp. the fringed pink, Dianthus superbus) |
| 大和撫子 | やまとなでしこ yamatonadeshiko | large pink (Dianthus superbus var. longicalycinus) |
| 慰撫 | いぶ ibu | pacification; soothing |
| 鎮撫 | ちんぶ chinbu | pacification; placating |
See also: Chinese symbol for “caress”.
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.