Japanese symbol for “velvety”
滑らか
なめらか
Romaji: nameraka
smooth (of a surface); glassy; velvety; soft
In Japanese, velvety is 滑らか, read なめらか (nameraka).
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 smooth (of a surface); glassy; velvety; soft
- adj-na smooth (of an action, proceedings, etc.); fluent (speech); fluid; trouble-free
- adj-na continuously differentiable (math)
Written forms: 滑らか、滑か. Readings: なめらか.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “velvety”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 滑々 | すべすべ subesube | smooth (skin, stone, etc.); sleek; velvety |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 円滑 | えんかつ enkatsu | smooth; undisturbed; uninterrupted |
| 滑走 | かっそう kassou | gliding; sliding; skating (on ice) |
| 滑る | すべる suberu | to slide; to glide; to skate |
| 滑り | ぬめり numeri | slime; sliminess; mucus |
| 滑稽 | こっけい kokkei | funny; comical; humorous |
See also: Chinese symbol for “velvety”.
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.