Japanese symbol for “perhaps”
多分
たぶん
Romaji: tabun
probably; likely; perhaps; maybe
In Japanese, perhaps is 多分, read たぶん (tabun).
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
- adv probably; likely; perhaps; maybe
- adj-na, adj-no a lot of; much; many; considerable; large (amount); generous
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “perhaps”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| かも | かも kamo | may; might; perhaps |
| 大方 | おおかた ookata | probably; maybe; perhaps |
| よう | よう you | (I) wonder (if); might it be (that); maybe |
| ひょっと | ひょっと hyotto | possibly; perhaps; perchance |
| 将 | はた hata | perhaps; by some chance; possibly |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 多数 | たすう tasuu | large number (of); many |
| 多様 | たよう tayou | diverse; various |
| 多少 | たしょう tashou | a little; some; somewhat |
| 多い | おおい ooi | many; numerous; a lot |
| 多大 | ただい tadai | great (quantity, amount, etc.); huge; enormous |
| 自分 | じぶん jibun | myself; yourself; oneself |
| 部分 | ぶぶん bubun | portion; section; part |
| 気分 | きぶん kibun | feeling; mood |
See also: Chinese symbol for “perhaps”.
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.