Japanese symbol for “partly”
半ば
なかば
Romaji: nakaba
middle; halfway; midway
In Japanese, partly is 半ば, read なかば (nakaba).
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, n-suf middle; halfway; midway
- n half (of); one half
- adv half (e.g. done, jokingly); partly; in part; partially
- adv mostly; almost; nearly
Written forms: 半ば、中ば. Readings: なかば.
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 半分 | はんぶん hanbun | half |
| 後半 | こうはん kouhan | second half; latter half |
| 前半 | ぜんはん zenhan | first half |
| 大半 | たいはん taihan | majority; more than half; most (of) |
| 半年 | はんとし hantoshi | half a year; six months |
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.