Japanese symbol for “conventional”
在来
ざいらい
Romaji: zairai
pre-existing; already there; conventional
In Japanese, conventional is 在来, read ざいらい (zairai).
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
- adj-no, n pre-existing; already there; conventional
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “conventional”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 従来 | じゅうらい juurai | traditional; conventional; usual |
| 常套 | じょうとう joutou | conventional; commonplace; trite |
| お決まり | おきまり okimari | standard; set; routine |
| 伝統的 | でんとうてき dentouteki | traditional; customary; conventional |
| 型通り | かたどおり katadoori | formal; proper; prescribed |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 現在 | げんざい genzai | the present; present time; now |
| 存在 | そんざい sonzai | existence; being; presence |
| 滞在 | たいざい taizai | stay; sojourn |
| 在日 | ざいにち zainichi | resident in Japan (of a foreigner); situated in Japan (e.g. of an embassy) |
| 不在 | ふざい fuzai | absence |
| 潜在 | せんざい senzai | potentiality; dormancy; latency |
| 未来 | みらい mirai | (distant) future |
| 出来る | できる dekiru | to be able to do; to be possible; to be permitted (to do) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “conventional”.
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.