Japanese symbol for “scarce”
少ない
すくない
Romaji: sukunai
few; little; small (amount); low
In Japanese, scarce is 少ない, read すくない (sukunai).
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-i few; little; small (amount); low; scarce; insufficient
Written forms: 少ない、尠い、寡い、少い. Readings: すくない.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “scarce”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 希少 | きしょう kishou | scarce; rare |
| 乏しい | とぼしい toboshii | meagre; meager; scarce |
| 薄 | うす usu | scarce; slim; few |
| タイト | タイト taito | tight (supply and demand); scarce; in short supply |
| 寥々 | りょうりょう ryouryou | few; scarce; sparse |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 少し | すこし sukoshi | a little; a bit; a small amount |
| 少年 | しょうねん shounen | boy |
| 少女 | しょうじょ shoujo | girl (usu. between 7 and 17); young lady |
| 減少 | げんしょう genshou | decrease; reduction; decline |
| 多少 | たしょう tashou | a little; some; somewhat |
See also: Chinese symbol for “scarce”.
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.