Japanese symbol for “upstairs”
二階
にかい
Romaji: nikai
second floor; upstairs
In Japanese, upstairs is 二階, read にかい (nikai).
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
- n second floor; upstairs
Written forms: 二階、２階. Readings: にかい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “upstairs”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 階上 | かいじょう kaijou | upper floor; upstairs |
| ＵＰ | ユー・ピー yuu・pii | upstairs |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 二つ | ふたつ futatsu | two |
| 二宮 | にぐう niguu | the Two Ise Shrines |
| 二塁打 | にるいだ niruida | two-base hit; double |
| 二塁 | にるい nirui | second base |
| 二分 | にぶん nibun | halving; dividing (into two parts); bisection |
| 一石二鳥 | いっせきにちょう issekinichou | killing two birds with one stone |
| 段階 | だんかい dankai | stage; step; phase |
| 階段 | かいだん kaidan | stairs; stairway; staircase |
See also: Chinese symbol for “upstairs”.
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.