Japanese symbol for “rare”
稀
まれ
Romaji: mare
rare; seldom
In Japanese, rare is 稀, read まれ (mare).
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-na rare; seldom
Written forms: 稀、希. Readings: まれ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “rare”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 珍しい | めずらしい mezurashii | rare; uncommon; unusual |
| 少ない | すくない sukunai | few; little; small (amount) |
| 珍 | ちん chin | rare |
| 希少 | きしょう kishou | scarce; rare |
| レア | レア rea | rare; uncommon; unusual |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 稀代 | きだい kidai | uncommon; rare; extraordinary |
| 稀覯 | きこう kikou | rare (book, manuscript, etc.) |
| ごく稀 | ごくまれ gokumare | extremely rare |
| 稀覯本 | きこうぼん kikoubon | rare book |
| 稀崩壊 | きほうかい kihoukai | rare decay |
| 稀に見る | まれにみる marenimiru | rare; extraordinary; singular |
See also: Chinese symbol for “rare”.
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.