Japanese symbol for “detached”
淡々
たんたん
Romaji: tantan
uninterested; unconcerned; indifferent; dispassionate
In Japanese, detached is 淡々, read たんたん (tantan).
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-t, adv-to uninterested; unconcerned; indifferent; dispassionate; matter-of-fact; detached
- adj-t, adv-to plain; light; simple; bland
- adj-t, adv-to flowing gently
Written forms: 淡々、淡淡、澹々、澹澹. Readings: たんたん.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “detached”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 超然 | ちょうぜん chouzen | detached; aloof; indifferent |
| 恬淡 | てんたん tentan | disinterested; unselfish; indifferent |
| 飄々 | ひょうひょう hyouhyou | aloof from the world; easygoing; transcendental |
| 飄然 | ひょうぜん hyouzen | detached (from the world); aloof |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 冷淡 | れいたん reitan | cool; indifferent; apathetic |
| 淡白 | たんぱく tanpaku | light (flavor, color, etc.); simple; plain |
| 淡い | あわい awai | light (color, taste, etc.); faint (e.g. smell); pale |
| 淡水 | たんすい tansui | fresh water (i.e. not salt water) |
| 濃淡 | のうたん noutan | light and shade; shade (of colour, color) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “detached”.
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.
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