Japanese symbol for “variation”
差
さ
Romaji: sa
difference; variation
In Japanese, variation is 差, read さ (sa).
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, n-suf difference; variation
- n difference (math)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “variation”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 変化 | へんか henka | change; variation; alteration |
| 変形 | へんけい henkei | transformation; variation; metamorphosis |
| 相違 | そうい soui | difference; discrepancy; variation |
| 変奏曲 | へんそうきょく hensoukyoku | variation |
| バリエーション | バリエーション barieeshon | variation |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 差別 | さべつ sabetsu | distinction; differentiation; discrimination |
| 格差 | かくさ kakusa | qualitative difference; disparity; gap |
| 交差点 | こうさてん kousaten | crossing; intersection |
| 時差 | じさ jisa | time difference |
| 日差し | ひざし hizashi | sunlight; rays of the Sun |
| 誤差 | ごさ gosa | measurement error; calculation error |
See also: Chinese symbol for “variation”.
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.