Japanese symbol for “instead”
寧ろ
むしろ
Romaji: mushiro
rather; better; instead; if anything
In Japanese, instead is 寧ろ, read むしろ (mushiro).
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 rather; better; instead; if anything
Written forms: 寧ろ、寧. Readings: むしろ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “instead”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 却って | かえって kaette | on the contrary; rather; instead |
| その代わり | そのかわり sonokawari | instead; but (on the other hand) |
| それ処か | それどころか soredokoroka | on the contrary; far from it; if anything |
| それよりも | それよりも soreyorimo | more importantly; rather than that; instead (of that) |
| それよか | それよか soreyoka | more importantly; rather than that; instead (of that) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 丁寧 | ていねい teinei | polite; courteous; civil |
| 安寧 | あんねい annei | (public) peace; stability; tranquility |
| 安寧秩序 | あんねいちつじょ anneichitsujo | peace and order; law and order |
| 丁寧語 | ていねいご teineigo | polite language (e.g. masu, desu) |
| 寧日 | ねいじつ neijitsu | peaceful day |
See also: Chinese symbol for “instead”.
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.