Japanese symbol for “unrequited”
叶わぬ
かなわぬ
Romaji: kanawanu
impossible (dream, wish, etc.); unfulfillable; unrequited (love); hopeless
In Japanese, unrequited is 叶わぬ, read かなわぬ (kanawanu).
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-f impossible (dream, wish, etc.); unfulfillable; unrequited (love); hopeless
Written forms: 叶わぬ、適わぬ. Readings: かなわぬ.
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 叶う | かなう kanau | to come true (of a dream, wish, etc.); to be realized; to be fulfilled |
| 叶える | かなえる kanaeru | to grant (request, wish); to answer (prayer); to make come true (e.g. a dream) |
| 叶わぬ夢 | かなわぬゆめ kanawanuyume | impossible dream |
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.