Japanese symbol for “gradually”
次第に
しだいに
Romaji: shidaini
gradually; by degrees; little by little; bit by bit
In Japanese, gradually is 次第に, read しだいに (shidaini).
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
- adv gradually; by degrees; little by little; bit by bit
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “gradually”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 徐々に | じょじょに jojoni | gradually; steadily; slowly |
| 段々 | だんだん dandan | gradually; by degrees; little by little |
| 漸次 | ぜんじ zenji | gradually; slowly; little by little |
| 行く | いく iku | to continue ...; to go on ...; to (progress) steadily |
| ジワジワ | ジワジワ jiwajiwa | slowly (but steadily); gradually; bit-by-bit |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 次元 | じげん jigen | dimension |
| 次回 | じかい jikai | next time (occasion) |
| 次第 | しだい shidai | depending on |
| 次々 | つぎつぎ tsugitsugi | in succession; one by one |
| 次ぐ | つぐ tsugu | to follow; to come after; to come next (to) |
| 第三者 | だいさんしゃ daisansha | third party; third person; outsider |
| 第一歩 | だいいっぽ daiippo | first step |
| 第一人者 | だいいちにんしゃ daiichininsha | leading person; foremost figure |
See also: Chinese symbol for “gradually”.
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.