Japanese symbol for “seedling”
苗
なえ
Romaji: nae
seedling; young plant
In Japanese, seedling is 苗, read なえ (nae).
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
- n seedling; young plant
- n rice seedling
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “seedling”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 苗木 | なえぎ naegi | seedling; sapling; young tree |
| 実生 | みしょう mishou | seedling; plant raised from the seed |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 苗字 | みょうじ myouji | surname; family name; last name |
| 苗木 | なえぎ naegi | seedling; sapling; young tree |
| 早苗 | さなえ sanae | rice seedling |
| 苗床 | なえどこ naedoko | seedbed; nursery; seed-plot |
| 種苗 | しゅびょう shubyou | seeds and seedlings |
| 育苗 | いくびょう ikubyou | raising seedlings |
See also: Chinese symbol for “seedling”.
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.