King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “shelf”

Romaji: tana
shelf; ledge; rack

In Japanese, shelf is , read (tana).

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

  1. n shelf; ledge; rack
  2. n trellis

Kanji and stroke order

shelf, ledge, rack
on: ホウ
kun: たな、-だな
12 strokes · JLPT 1

Other Japanese words for “shelf”

WordReadingMeaning
だん danshelf; layer; tier
シェルフ sherufushelf
たないた tanaitashelf; shelving

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
ほんだな hondanabookshelves; bookshelf; bookcase
たなあげ tanaageshelving (a matter, plan, etc.); pigeonholing; tabling
とだな todanacupboard; locker; closet
たいりくだな tairikudanacontinental shelf
かみだな kamidanakamidana; household shrine; home shrine
しょだな shodanabookshelf

See also: Chinese symbol for “shelf”.

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.

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