Japanese symbol for “nonexistent”
無い
ない
Romaji: nai
nonexistent; not being (there)
In Japanese, nonexistent is 無い, read ない (nai).
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 nonexistent; not being (there)
- adj-i unowned; not had; unpossessed
- adj-i unique
- adj-i not; impossible; won't happen
- adj-i, aux-adj not
- adj-i, aux-adj to not be; to have not
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “nonexistent”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 皆無 | かいむ kaimu | nonexistent; nil; none |
| ねー | ねー nee | nonexistent; not being (there); not having |
| 無し | なし nashi | nonexistent; not being (there) |
| 有りもしない | ありもしない arimoshinai | nonexistent; unreal; imaginary |
| 有らない | あらない aranai | nonexistent; not being (there); not having |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 無料 | むりょう muryou | free (of charge); gratuitous |
| 無理 | むり muri | unreasonable; unnatural; unjustifiable |
| 無事 | ぶじ buji | safety; security; peace |
| 無駄 | むだ muda | futility; waste; uselessness |
| 無線 | むせん musen | radio (communication) |
| 無理やり | むりやり muriyari | forcibly; by force; against one's will |
See also: Chinese symbol for “nonexistent”.
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.