Japanese symbol for “inadvertently”
何気なく
なにげなく
Romaji: nanigenaku
unintentionally; calmly; inadvertently; innocently
In Japanese, inadvertently is 何気なく, read なにげなく (nanigenaku).
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, exp unintentionally; calmly; inadvertently; innocently
Written forms: 何気なく、何げなく、何気無く. Readings: なにげなく.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “inadvertently”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| うっかり | うっかり ukkari | carelessly; thoughtlessly; inadvertently |
| ポロリ | ポロリ porori | inadvertently (coming to the surface); letting out (e.g. a secret) |
| 何気に | なにげに nanigeni | inadvertently; for no special reason |
| くっと | くっと kutto | inadvertently (letting out a laugh) |
| 何の気なしに | なんのきなしに nannokinashini | unintentionally; inadvertently; calmly |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 何とか | なんとか nantoka | something; something or other; so-and-so |
| 何で | なんで nande | why?; what for? |
| 何より | なにより naniyori | above anything else; above all; more than anything |
| 何とも | なんとも nantomo | really; very; extremely |
| 何事 | なにごと nanigoto | what; what sort of thing |
| 何と | なんと nanto | what; how |
| 気持ち | きもち kimochi | feeling; sensation; mood |
| 人気 | にんき ninki | popularity; public favor |
See also: Chinese symbol for “inadvertently”.
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.