Japanese symbol for “waitress”
仲居
なかい
Romaji: nakai
waitress (in a ryokan or traditional restaurant); hostess
In Japanese, waitress is 仲居, read なかい (nakai).
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 waitress (in a ryokan or traditional restaurant); hostess
Written forms: 仲居、中居. Readings: なかい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “waitress”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ウェイトレス | ウェイトレス weitoresu | waitress |
| 女給 | じょきゅう jokyuu | waitress; hostess |
| 女中 | じょちゅう jochuu | hostess (in a ryokan); waitress (in a traditional restaurant) |
| 給仕 | きゅうじ kyuuji | waiter; waitress; waitperson |
| 酌婦 | しゃくふ shakufu | barmaid; waitress |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 仲間 | なかま nakama | companion; fellow; friend |
| 仲良く | なかよく nakayoku | on good terms (with); on friendly terms (with); (getting along) well |
| 仲介 | ちゅうかい chuukai | agency; intermediation |
| 仲良し | なかよし nakayoshi | close friendship; close friend; good friend |
| 仲裁 | ちゅうさい chuusai | arbitration; intercession; mediation |
| 仲人 | なこうど nakoudo | matchmaker |
| 居る | おる oru | to be (animate); to be; to exist |
| 芝居 | しばい shibai | play; drama |
See also: Chinese symbol for “waitress”.
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.