Japanese symbol for “unknown”
不明
ふめい
Romaji: fumei
unclear; obscure; indistinct; uncertain
In Japanese, unknown is 不明, read ふめい (fumei).
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-na, n unclear; obscure; indistinct; uncertain; ambiguous
- adj-no, suf unknown; unidentified
- n ignorance; lack of wisdom; lack of insight
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “unknown”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 元 | げん gen | unknown (e.g. in an equation) |
| 未知 | みち michi | not yet known; unknown; strange |
| 不詳 | ふしょう fushou | unknown; unidentified; unspecified |
| 未知数 | みちすう michisuu | (an) unknown; unknown number; variable |
| 見知らぬ | みしらぬ mishiranu | strange; unfamiliar; unknown |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 不安 | ふあん fuan | anxiety; uneasiness; worry |
| 不足 | ふそく fusoku | insufficiency; deficiency; shortage |
| 不満 | ふまん fuman | dissatisfaction; discontent; displeasure |
| 不可能 | ふかのう fukanou | impossible |
| 不思議 | ふしぎ fushigi | wonderful; marvelous; strange |
| 説明 | せつめい setsumei | explanation; exposition; description |
| 明日 | あした ashita | tomorrow |
| 明らか | あきらか akiraka | clear; obvious; evident |
See also: Chinese symbol for “unknown”.
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.