Japanese symbol for “something”
何とか
なんとか
Romaji: nantoka
something; something or other; so-and-so
In Japanese, something is 何とか, read なんとか (nantoka).
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
- exp something; something or other; so-and-so
- adv, vs somehow (handling, dealing with something); anyhow; one way or another
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “something”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 何やら | なにやら naniyara | something; some kind of |
| 何か | なにか nanika | something; some; any |
| 雰囲気 | ふんいき fun'iki | a certain air; presence; special aura |
| 何ぞ | なんぞ nanzo | something |
| サムシング | サムシング samushingu | something |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 何で | なんで nande | why?; what for? |
| 何より | なにより naniyori | above anything else; above all; more than anything |
| 何とも | なんとも nantomo | really; very; extremely |
| 何事 | なにごと nanigoto | what; what sort of thing |
| 何と | なんと nanto | what; how |
See also: Chinese symbol for “something”.
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.