Japanese symbol for “minus”
マイナス
マイナス
Romaji: mainasu
minus; subtraction; taking away
In Japanese, minus is マイナス (mainasu).
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, vs, vt minus; subtraction; taking away
- adj-no, n negative (number)
- n deficit; loss
- adj-no, n disadvantage; drawback; handicap
- n negative charge; cathode; negative terminal; negative pole
- n minus sign; negative sign
Other Japanese words for “minus”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 負 | ふ fu | negative; minus |
| デメリット | デメリット demeritto | disadvantage; drawback; demerit |
See also: Chinese symbol for “minus”.
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.