Japanese symbol for “increasingly”
段々
だんだん
Romaji: dandan
gradually; by degrees; little by little; more and more
In Japanese, increasingly is 段々, read だんだん (dandan).
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, adv-to gradually; by degrees; little by little; more and more; increasingly
- n steps; stairs; staircase; terrace
Written forms: 段々、段段. Readings: だんだん.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “increasingly”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 益々 | ますます masumasu | increasingly; more and more |
| 転 | うたた utata | more and more; increasingly; all the more |
| 弥 | いや iya | more and more; increasingly |
| 愈 | いよいよ iyoiyo | more and more; all the more; increasingly |
| 益々もって | ますますもって masumasumotte | increasingly; more and more; decreasingly (when declining) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 段階 | だんかい dankai | stage; step; phase |
| 手段 | しゅだん shudan | means; way; method |
| 値段 | ねだん nedan | price; cost |
| 普段 | ふだん fudan | usual; normal; everyday |
| 階段 | かいだん kaidan | stairs; stairway; staircase |
| 段ボール | だんボール danbooru | (corrugated) cardboard |
See also: Chinese symbol for “increasingly”.
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.