Japanese symbol for “lately”
最近
さいきん
Romaji: saikin
recently; lately; these days; nowadays
In Japanese, lately is 最近, read さいきん (saikin).
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 recently; lately; these days; nowadays; right now
- adj-no nearest; closest
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “lately”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 近頃 | ちかごろ chikagoro | lately; recently; nowadays |
| 昨今 | さっこん sakkon | these days; nowadays; recently |
| 今度 | こんど kondo | recently; lately; the other day |
| この間 | このあいだ konoaida | the other day; lately; recently |
| 此間 | こないだ konaida | the other day; lately; recently |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 最後 | さいご saigo | end; conclusion |
| 最初 | さいしょ saisho | beginning; outset; first |
| 最高 | さいこう saikou | best; supreme; wonderful |
| 最終 | さいしゅう saishuu | last; final; closing |
| 最大 | さいだい saidai | biggest; greatest; largest |
| 近所 | きんじょ kinjo | neighbourhood; neighborhood; vicinity |
| 付近 | ふきん fukin | neighborhood; neighbourhood; vicinity |
| 近い | ちかい chikai | near; close; short (distance) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “lately”.
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.