Japanese symbol for “sevenfold”

七重

ななえ

Romaji: nanae

sevenfold; seven-ply

In Japanese, sevenfold is 七重, read ななえ (nanae).

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-no, n sevenfold; seven-ply

Kanji and stroke order

七

seven

on: シチ
kun: なな、なな.つ、なの

2 strokes · JLPT 4

重

heavy, important, esteem

on: ジュウ、チョウ
kun: え、おも.い、おも.り、おも.なう

9 strokes · JLPT 3

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
七つ	ななつ nanatsu	seven
七夕	たなばた tanabata	Star Festival (held in July or August); Tanabata; Festival of the Weaver
七福神	しちふくじん shichifukujin	Seven Gods of Fortune; Seven Deities of Good Luck; Seven Lucky Gods
七五三	しちごさん shichigosan	shichi-go-san; 7-5-3 day; festival day for children aged 7, 5 and 3 held on or around November 15
七宝	しっぽう shippou	the seven treasures (gold, silver, pearls, agate, crystal, coral, lapis lazuli)
七草	ななくさ nanakusa	the seven spring flowers
重要	じゅうよう juuyou	important; essential; significant
体重	たいじゅう taijuu	(body) weight

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.