Japanese symbol for “softener”

軟化剤

なんかざい

Romaji: nankazai

softener; softening agent

In Japanese, softener is 軟化剤, read なんかざい (nankazai).

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 softener; softening agent

Kanji and stroke order

軟

soft

on: ナン
kun: やわ.らか、やわ.らかい

11 strokes · JLPT 2

化

change, take the form of, influence

on: カ、ケ
kun: ば.ける、ば.かす、ふ.ける、け.する

4 strokes · JLPT 2

剤

dose, medicine, drug

on: ザイ、スイ、セイ
kun: かる、けず.る

10 strokes · JLPT 1

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
柔軟	じゅうなん juunan	flexible; lithe; soft
軟弱	なんじゃく nanjaku	soft and lacking firmness; weak; fragile
軟骨	なんこつ nankotsu	cartilage
軟化	なんか nanka	softening
軟式	なんしき nanshiki	soft (esp. of softball, tennis, etc.)
軟禁	なんきん nankin	house arrest
文化	ぶんか bunka	culture; civilization; civilisation
変化	へんか henka	change; variation; alteration
洗剤	せんざい senzai	detergent; cleanser; cleaning agent

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.