Japanese symbol for “matters”
片
かた
Romaji: kata
one (of a pair)
In Japanese, matters is 片, read かた (kata).
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
- pref one (of a pair)
- pref incomplete; imperfect; fragmentary
- pref few; little
- pref off-centre; remote
- pref side; problem; question; matters
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “matters”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 事ども | ことども kotodomo | things; matters |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 片手 | かたて katate | one hand |
| 片方 | かたほう katahou | one side; one party; the other side |
| 破片 | はへん hahen | fragment; broken piece; splinter |
| 片道 | かたみち katamichi | one-way (trip) |
| 断片 | だんぺん danpen | fragment; scrap; piece |
| 片側 | かたがわ katagawa | one side |
See also: Chinese symbol for “matters”.
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.