Japanese symbol for “wherewithal”

先立つ物

さきだつもの

Romaji: sakidatsumono

the wherewithal; means; the money (needed to do something)

In Japanese, wherewithal is 先立つ物, read さきだつもの (sakidatsumono).

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 the wherewithal; means; the money (needed to do something)

Written forms: 先立つ物、先立つもの. Readings: さきだつもの.

Kanji and stroke order

先

before, ahead, previous

on: セン
kun: さき、ま.ず

6 strokes · JLPT 4

立

stand up, rise, set up

on: リツ、リュウ、リットル
kun: た.つ、-た.つ、た.ち-、た.てる

5 strokes · JLPT 4

物

thing, object, matter

on: ブツ、モツ
kun: もの、もの-

8 strokes · JLPT 3

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
先生	せんせい sensei	teacher; instructor; master
優先	ゆうせん yuusen	preference; priority; precedence
先輩	せんぱい senpai	senior (at school, work, etc.); superior; elder
先日	せんじつ senjitsu	the other day; a few days ago
先週	せんしゅう senshuu	last week; the week before
先月	せんげつ sengetsu	last month
立場	たちば tachiba	position; situation
独立	どくりつ dokuritsu	independence; self-reliance; supporting oneself
動物	どうぶつ doubutsu	animal

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.