Japanese symbol for “shelf”
棚
たな
Romaji: tana
shelf; ledge; rack
In Japanese, shelf is 棚, read たな (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
- n shelf; ledge; rack
- n trellis
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “shelf”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 段 | だん dan | shelf; layer; tier |
| シェルフ | シェルフ sherufu | shelf |
| 棚板 | たないた tanaita | shelf; shelving |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 本棚 | ほんだな hondana | bookshelves; bookshelf; bookcase |
| 棚上げ | たなあげ tanaage | shelving (a matter, plan, etc.); pigeonholing; tabling |
| 戸棚 | とだな todana | cupboard; locker; closet |
| 大陸棚 | たいりくだな tairikudana | continental shelf |
| 神棚 | かみだな kamidana | kamidana; household shrine; home shrine |
| 書棚 | しょだな shodana | bookshelf |
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.