Japanese symbol for “sparse”
薄い
うすい
Romaji: usui
thin (of an object)
In Japanese, sparse is 薄い, read うすい (usui).
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 thin (of an object)
- adj-i pale; light; faint
- adj-i watery; thin; diluted
- adj-i weak (taste, etc.); little (affection, etc.); not much (of a presence)
- adj-i slim (probability, etc.); small
- adj-i sparse; patchy; scattered
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “sparse”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 希薄 | きはく kihaku | thin (air); weak (liquid); dilute |
| 疎ら | まばら mabara | sparse; thin; scattered |
| 疎 | そ so | sparse |
| 貧相 | ひんそう hinsou | scrawny (e.g. figure); thin-looking; sparse (e.g. meal) |
| ぱらぱら | ぱらぱら parapara | sparse; scattered; sporadic |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 薄暗い | うすぐらい usugurai | dim; gloomy |
| 希薄 | きはく kihaku | thin (air); weak (liquid); dilute |
| 軽薄 | けいはく keihaku | frivolous; flippant; superficial |
| 薄着 | うすぎ usugi | being lightly dressed |
| 品薄 | しなうす shinausu | shortage of stock; scarcity of goods; being in short supply |
See also: Chinese symbol for “sparse”.
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.