Japanese symbol for “meanwhile”
一方
いっぽう
Romaji: ippou
one (esp. of two); the other; one way; the other way
In Japanese, meanwhile is 一方, read いっぽう (ippou).
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
- n one (esp. of two); the other; one way; the other way; one direction; the other direction
- conj on the one hand; on the other hand
- conj whereas; although; but at the same time; meanwhile; in turn
- adv, n, n-suf just keeps; being inclined to ...; tending to be ...; tending to do ...; continuously ...; just keeps on ...ing
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “meanwhile”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| この間 | このあいだ konoaida | meanwhile; in the meantime |
| 此の内 | このうち konouchi | meanwhile; the other day; recently |
| そうした中で | そうしたなかで soushitanakade | meanwhile |
| 話変わって | はなしかわって hanashikawatte | meanwhile; in the meantime; on the other hand |
| その一方 | そのいっぽう sonoippou | meanwhile; in the meantime; by the same token |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一緒 | いっしょ issho | (doing) together |
| 一番 | いちばん ichiban | number one; first; first place |
| 一つ | ひとつ hitotsu | one |
| 一般 | いっぱん ippan | general; universal |
| 一部 | いちぶ ichibu | one part; one portion; one section |
| 方法 | ほうほう houhou | method; way; manner |
| 地方 | ちほう chihou | district; region; area |
| 方向 | ほうこう houkou | direction; orientation; bearing |
See also: Chinese symbol for “meanwhile”.
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.