Japanese symbol for “unawares”
いつの間にか
いつのまにか
Romaji: itsunomanika
before one knows; before one becomes aware of; unnoticed; unawares
In Japanese, unawares is いつの間にか, read いつのまにか (itsunomanika).
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 before one knows; before one becomes aware of; unnoticed; unawares
Written forms: いつの間にか、何時の間にか. Readings: いつのまにか.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “unawares”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 冥々のうち | めいめいのうち meimeinouchi | unawares; before one is aware |
| 何時しか | いつしか itsushika | before one knows; unnoticed; unawares |
| 知らず知らず | しらずしらず shirazushirazu | unconsciously; without knowing it; unwittingly |
| 何時かしら | いつかしら itsukashira | before one knows; before one becomes aware of; unnoticed |
| いつの間にやら | いつのまにやら itsunomaniyara | before one knows it; without realizing; unawares |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 時間 | じかん jikan | time |
| 人間 | にんげん ningen | human being; human; person |
| 期間 | きかん kikan | period; term; interval |
| 年間 | ねんかん nenkan | (period of) a year |
| 仲間 | なかま nakama | companion; fellow; friend |
| 間違い | まちがい machigai | mistake; error; blunder |
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.