Japanese symbol for “sparsely”
点々
ちょぼちょぼ
Romaji: chobochobo
sparsely; drop-by-drop
In Japanese, sparsely is 点々, read ちょぼちょぼ (chobochobo).
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
- adv, adv-to sparsely; drop-by-drop
- adj-na on par with; as good as
- n (vertical) iteration mark used to represent repetition of the previous kanji (to be read using its kun'yomi)
Written forms: 点々、点点. Readings: ちょぼちょぼ、チョボチョボ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “sparsely”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ちらほら | ちらほら chirahora | here and there; in twos and threes; sporadically |
| ちらりほらり | ちらりほらり chirarihorari | here and there; in twos and threes; sporadically |
| ぱらっと | ぱらっと paratto | sparsely (scattered); here and there |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 視点 | してん shiten | point of view; viewpoint; angle |
| 地点 | ちてん chiten | spot; point; place |
| 時点 | じてん jiten | point in time; occasion |
| 焦点 | しょうてん shouten | focus; focal point |
| 点数 | てんすう tensuu | marks; points; score |
| 原点 | げんてん genten | starting point; origin; beginning |
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.