Japanese symbol for “soon”
今
いま
Romaji: ima
now; the present time; just now; soon
In Japanese, soon is 今, read いま (ima).
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-no, adv, n now; the present time; just now; soon; immediately
- adv another; more
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “soon”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 直 | じき jiki | soon; in a moment; before long |
| 間もなく | まもなく mamonaku | soon; shortly; before long |
| 近々 | ちかぢか chikajika | soon; before long; shortly |
| そろそろ | そろそろ sorosoro | soon; before long; any time now |
| 早く | はやく hayaku | early; soon |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 今日 | きょう kyou | today; this day |
| 今回 | こんかい konkai | this time; now |
| 今年 | ことし kotoshi | this year |
| 今度 | こんど kondo | this time; now |
| 今後 | こんご kongo | from now on; hereafter |
| 今週 | こんしゅう konshuu | this week |
See also: Chinese symbol for “soon”.
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.