Japanese symbol for “without”
無し
なし
Romaji: nashi
without
In Japanese, without is 無し, read なし (nashi).
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 without
- n unacceptable; not alright; unsatisfactory
- adj-ku nonexistent; not being (there)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “without”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ず | ず zu | (does) not ..., and; (does) not ..., so; not (doing) |
| でなければ | でなければ denakereba | without; but if; otherwise |
| 没 | ぼつ botsu | lacking; without |
| 無しには | なしには nashiniha | without |
| ノー | ノー noo | no; without; not needed |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 無料 | むりょう muryou | free (of charge); gratuitous |
| 無理 | むり muri | unreasonable; unnatural; unjustifiable |
| 無事 | ぶじ buji | safety; security; peace |
| 無駄 | むだ muda | futility; waste; uselessness |
| 無線 | むせん musen | radio (communication) |
| 無理やり | むりやり muriyari | forcibly; by force; against one's will |
See also: Chinese symbol for “without”.
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.