Japanese symbol for “remain”
残る
のこる
Romaji: nokoru
to remain; to be left
In Japanese, remain is 残る, read のこる (nokoru).
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
- v5r, vi to remain; to be left
Written forms: 残る、遺る. Readings: のこる.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “remain”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 余る | あまる amaru | to remain; to be left over; to be in excess |
| 止まる | とどまる todomaru | to remain; to abide; to stay (in the one place) |
| 居座る | いすわる isuwaru | to remain; to stay (somewhere) |
| 込む | こむ komu | to remain (silent, seated, etc.); to stay ... |
| 通す | とおす toosu | to continue (in a state); to persist in (doing); to keep doing |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 残念 | ざんねん zannen | regrettable; unfortunate; disappointing |
| 残り | のこり nokori | remainder; remnant; the rest |
| 残す | のこす nokosu | to leave (behind) |
| 残業 | ざんぎょう zangyou | overtime (work) |
| 残酷 | ざんこく zankoku | cruel; brutal; ruthless |
See also: Chinese symbol for “remain”.
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.