Japanese symbol for “lukewarm”
生ぬるい
なまぬるい
Romaji: namanurui
lukewarm; tepid
In Japanese, lukewarm is 生ぬるい, read なまぬるい (namanurui).
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-i lukewarm; tepid
- adj-i half-hearted; vague; weak
- adj-i lenient; mild; soft
Written forms: 生ぬるい、生温い. Readings: なまぬるい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “lukewarm”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 温い | ぬるい nurui | lukewarm; tepid |
| 生暖かい | なまあたたかい namaatatakai | lukewarm; tepid; disagreeably warm (e.g. bath) |
| いい加減 | いいかげん iikagen | lukewarm; half-baked; halfhearted |
| 手ぬるい | てぬるい tenurui | lax; lenient; lukewarm |
| 微温的 | びおんてき bionteki | lukewarm; tepid; indifferent |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 生活 | せいかつ seikatsu | life; living |
| 先生 | せんせい sensei | teacher; instructor; master |
| 人生 | じんせい jinsei | (one's) life |
| 学生 | がくせい gakusei | student (esp. a university student) |
| 発生 | はっせい hassei | occurrence; incidence; outbreak |
| 誕生 | たんじょう tanjou | birth (of a person); nativity |
See also: Chinese symbol for “lukewarm”.
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.