Japanese symbol for “impending”

当面

とうめん

Romaji: toumen

current; urgent; pressing; impending

In Japanese, impending is 当面, read とうめん (toumen).

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, adv, n current; urgent; pressing; impending
vi, vs to confront (an issue); to face (up to something)
adj-no, adv for the meantime; at present

Kanji and stroke order

当

hit, right, appropriate

on: トウ
kun: あ.たる、あ.たり、あ.てる、あ.て

6 strokes · JLPT 2

面

mask, face, features

on: メン、ベン
kun: おも、おもて、つら

9 strokes · JLPT 2

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
本当	ほんとう hontou	truth; reality; actuality
当時	とうじ touji	at that time; in those days
担当	たんとう tantou	being in charge (of an area of responsibility); being responsible (for a work role, etc.)
当然	とうぜん touzen	natural; right; proper
相当	そうとう soutou	corresponding to (in meaning, function, etc.); being equivalent to
当選	とうせん tousen	being elected
画面	がめん gamen	screen (of a TV, computer, etc.)
面倒	めんどう mendou	trouble; bother

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.