King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “tentative”

Romaji: zantei
provisional; temporary; tentative; interim

In Japanese, tentative is , read (zantei).

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

  1. adj-no, n provisional; temporary; tentative; interim

Kanji and stroke order

temporarily, a while, moment
on: ザン
kun: しばら.く
15 strokes · JLPT 1
determine, fix, establish
on: テイ、ジョウ
kun: さだ.める、さだ.まる、さだ.か
8 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “tentative”

WordReadingMeaning
かり karitemporary; provisional; interim
かん kantentative; rough; unconfirmed
ざんていてき zanteitekiprovisional; temporary; tentative

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
しばらく shibarakufor a moment; for a minute
しばし shibashifor a short while; for a brief period; soon
ざんじ zanjishort while
ざんていきょうてい zanteikyouteiprovisional agreement; modus vivendi
ざんていせいふ zanteiseifuinterim government; provisional government; caretaker government
よてい yoteiplans; arrangement; schedule
けってい ketteidecision; determination
せってい setteiestablishment; creation; posing (a problem)

See also: Chinese symbol for “tentative”.

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.

Last posts

  1. Is a Plastic Saya Worth Adding to a Bokken for Drawing?
  2. Choosing the Best Aikido Bokken for Daily Training
  3. Choosing the Best Heavy Bokken for Suburi Training
  4. Are Bamboo Practice Swords Safer Than Wooden Ones
  5. Choosing the Best Wooden Sword Stand for Your Collection
  6. Why Bokken Crack and Which Woods Handle Impact Best
  7. Best Bokken Bags and Cases for Martial Arts Training
  8. Choosing the Best Wooden Tanto for Realistic Knife Drills
  9. What Is a Suburito and Is It Worth Buying for Strength
  10. Buying a Wooden Wakizashi for Two-Sword Practice