Japanese symbol for “dear”
懐かしい
なつかしい
Romaji: natsukashii
dear (old); fondly remembered; beloved; missed
In Japanese, dear is 懐かしい, read なつかしい (natsukashii).
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-i dear (old); fondly remembered; beloved; missed; nostalgic
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “dear”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 州 | しゅう shuu | dear |
| 愛しい | いとしい itoshii | lovely; dear; beloved |
| 拝啓 | はいけい haikei | Dear (so and so); Dear Sir; Dear Madam |
| 可愛い | かわいい kawaii | dear; precious; darling |
| 大切 | たいせつ taisetsu | precious; valuable; dear |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 懐疑 | かいぎ kaigi | doubt; skepticism; scepticism |
| 懐柔 | かいじゅう kaijuu | winning over; placation; gentle persuasion |
| 懐かしむ | なつかしむ natsukashimu | to yearn (for); to miss; to feel nostalgic (for) |
| 懐古 | かいこ kaiko | reminiscence; nostalgia; thinking fondly of the past |
| 述懐 | じゅっかい jukkai | speaking about (one's thoughts, memories, etc.); relating (one's feelings, reminiscences, etc.); recollection |
See also: Chinese symbol for “dear”.
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.