Japanese symbol for “nostalgic”
懐かしい
なつかしい
Romaji: natsukashii
dear (old); fondly remembered; beloved; missed
In Japanese, nostalgic is 懐かしい, read なつかしい (natsukashii).
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 dear (old); fondly remembered; beloved; missed; nostalgic
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “nostalgic”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 懐かし | なつかし natsukashi | dear (old); good old; longed-for |
| ノスタルジック | ノスタルジック nosutarujikku | nostalgic |
| 懐い | なつい natsui | dear (old); fondly remembered; beloved |
| 懐古的 | かいこてき kaikoteki | nostalgic; old-fashioned |
| レトロ | レトロ retoro | retro; nostalgic; old-fashioned |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 懐疑 | かいぎ kaigi | doubt; skepticism; scepticism |
| 懐柔 | かいじゅう kaijuu | winning over; placation; gentle persuasion |
| 懐かしむ | なつかしむ natsukashimu | to yearn (for); to miss; to feel nostalgic (for) |
| 懐古 | かいこ kaiko | reminiscence; nostalgia; thinking fondly of the past |
| 述懐 | じゅっかい jukkai | speaking about (one's thoughts, memories, etc.); relating (one's feelings, reminiscences, etc.); recollection |
See also: Chinese symbol for “nostalgic”.
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.