Japanese symbol for “neat”
素直
すなお
Romaji: sunao
obedient; meek; docile; unaffected
In Japanese, neat is 素直, read すなお (sunao).
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-na, n obedient; meek; docile; unaffected
- adj-na, n honest; frank; upfront (about one's feelings)
- adj-na, n straight (e.g. hair)
- adj-na, n without peculiarity; without mannerisms; standard; neat (e.g. handwriting)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “neat”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ニート | ニート niito | neat |
| 格好いい | かっこいい kakkoii | attractive; good-looking; stylish |
| 小奇麗 | こぎれい kogirei | neat; trim; tidy |
| さっぱり | さっぱり sappari | neat; tidy; clean |
| 綺麗 | きれい kirei | clean; clear; pure |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 要素 | ようそ youso | element; component; factor |
| 素材 | そざい sozai | ingredient; (raw) material; resource |
| 素敵 | すてき suteki | lovely; wonderful; charming |
| 素人 | しろうと shirouto | amateur; layman; ordinary person |
| 酸素 | さんそ sanso | oxygen (O) |
| 直接 | ちょくせつ chokusetsu | direct; immediate; personal |
| 正直 | しょうじき shoujiki | honest; frank; candid |
| 直後 | ちょくご chokugo | immediately following |
See also: Chinese symbol for “neat”.
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.