Japanese symbol for “secretly”
人知れず
ひとしれず
Romaji: hitoshirezu
secretly; in secret; unseen; unobserved
In Japanese, secretly is 人知れず, read ひとしれず (hitoshirezu).
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, exp secretly; in secret; unseen; unobserved; inwardly; in private
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “secretly”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| こっそり | こっそり kossori | stealthily; secretly; in secret |
| こそこそ | こそこそ kosokoso | sneakily; secretly; stealthily |
| 陰ながら | かげながら kagenagara | from behind the scenes (cheer, pray, etc. for someone); from the sidelines; from a distance |
| そっと | そっと sotto | stealthily; secretly; in secret |
| 暗々裏 | あんあんり an'anri | secretly; covertly; tacitly |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 人間 | にんげん ningen | human being; human; person |
| 個人 | こじん kojin | individual; private person; personal |
| 人気 | にんき ninki | popularity; public favor |
| 人生 | じんせい jinsei | (one's) life |
| 人々 | ひとびと hitobito | people; men and women |
| 大人 | おとな otona | adult; grown-up |
| 知る | しる shiru | to know; to be aware (of); to be conscious (of) |
| 知識 | ちしき chishiki | knowledge; information |
See also: Chinese symbol for “secretly”.
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.