Japanese symbol for “soft”
柔らかい
やわらかい
Romaji: yawarakai
soft; tender; supple; flexible
In Japanese, soft is 柔らかい, read やわらかい (yawarakai).
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-i soft; tender; supple; flexible; limber; limp
- adj-i gentle; mild; soft; mellow
- adj-i light (topic, book, etc.); informal
- adj-i flexible (thinking, mind, etc.); malleable; adaptable
Written forms: 柔らかい、軟らかい、柔かい. Readings: やわらかい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “soft”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 柔らか | やわらか yawaraka | soft; tender; pliant |
| ソフト | ソフト sofuto | soft |
| 柔軟 | じゅうなん juunan | flexible; lithe; soft |
| 軟式 | なんしき nanshiki | soft (esp. of softball, tennis, etc.) |
| 滑らか | なめらか nameraka | smooth (of a surface); glassy; velvety |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 柔軟 | じゅうなん juunan | flexible; lithe; soft |
| 柔道 | じゅうどう juudou | judo |
| 柔らか | やわらか yawaraka | soft; tender; pliant |
| 優柔不断 | ゆうじゅうふだん yuujuufudan | indecisive; irresolute; shilly-shally |
| 柔和 | にゅうわ nyuuwa | gentle; mild; meek |
See also: Chinese symbol for “soft”.
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.