Japanese symbol for “whatever”
次第
しだい
Romaji: shidai
depending on
In Japanese, whatever is 次第, read しだい (shidai).
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
- suf depending on
- suf as soon as; immediately after; upon
- suf as (e.g. "as one is told", "as one wishes"); whatever (e.g. "whatever is at hand")
- n order; program; programme; precedence
- n circumstances; course of events; state of things
- n reason
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “whatever”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 何でも | なんでも nandemo | any; anything; whatever |
| どんな | どんな donna | no matter what (kind of); whatever; any |
| どっち道 | どっちみち dotchimichi | anyway; either way; one way or the other |
| 何とでも | なんとでも nantodemo | whatever |
| 何であれ | なんであれ nandeare | whatever; no matter what |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 次元 | じげん jigen | dimension |
| 次回 | じかい jikai | next time (occasion) |
| 次第に | しだいに shidaini | gradually; by degrees; little by little |
| 次々 | つぎつぎ tsugitsugi | in succession; one by one |
| 次ぐ | つぐ tsugu | to follow; to come after; to come next (to) |
| 第三者 | だいさんしゃ daisansha | third party; third person; outsider |
| 第一歩 | だいいっぽ daiippo | first step |
| 第一人者 | だいいちにんしゃ daiichininsha | leading person; foremost figure |
See also: Chinese symbol for “whatever”.
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.
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