Japanese symbol for “primitive”
未開
みかい
Romaji: mikai
uncivilized; uncivilised; primitive; savage
In Japanese, primitive is 未開, read みかい (mikai).
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-no, n uncivilized; uncivilised; primitive; savage
- adj-no, n undeveloped (land); unexplored (territory, field, etc.)
- adj-no, n unbloomed (flower)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “primitive”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 原生 | げんせい gensei | primeval; primordial; primitive |
| 原 | げん gen | original; primitive; primary |
| 原始 | げんし genshi | primeval; primordial; primitive |
| プリミティブ | プリミティブ purimitibu | primitive; crude; archaic |
| 幼稚 | ようち youchi | childish; infantile; immature |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 未来 | みらい mirai | (distant) future |
| 未遂 | みすい misui | failed attempt (at a crime, suicide, etc.) |
| 未定 | みてい mitei | not yet fixed; undecided; pending |
| 未成年 | みせいねん miseinen | minority (i.e. being under age); minor; underage person |
| 未知 | みち michi | not yet known; unknown; strange |
| 未満 | みまん miman | less than; under; below |
| 開催 | かいさい kaisai | holding (a conference, exhibition, etc.); opening; hosting (e.g. the Olympics) |
| 公開 | こうかい koukai | opening to the public; making available to the public; exhibiting |
See also: Chinese symbol for “primitive”.
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.