Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
斜め (ななめ, naname) Japanese meaning: slanting | Kotomora
Report an issue with this page
なな
め
に
掛か
かっ
て
いる
。
The picture is hanging crooked.
Please draw a diagonal line.
Usage patterns 〈 物もの 〉 を 斜なな めに 切き る to cut something diagonally
I cut the bread diagonally to make a sandwich.
〈 事こと 〉 を 斜なな めに 見み る to view something cynically or with a skewed perspective
He always views other people's success with a cynical eye.
斜なな めに 座すわ る to sit at an angle
He sat at an angle in his chair while listening.
Expressions 斜なな めってる is leaning; is tilted; is crooked 斜なな めならず unusually; extraordinarily; remarkably Kanji 斜 diagonal, slanting, oblique Related words 傾斜 is a more formal, technical noun for an incline or gradient, while 斜め is the everyday word for something being diagonal or tilted.
不機嫌 directly and plainly means 'in a bad mood', whereas 斜め in this figurative sense (機嫌が斜め) is a softer, more idiomatic way to say the same thing.
斜め is the everyday word for 'diagonal' or 'slanting', while 斜 (はす) is a less common, more literary or fixed-expression form with the same meaning.
Opposites 水平 describes something perfectly horizontal, the direct opposite of 斜め's slanted or tilted angle.
斜め describes something slanted or diagonal, the opposite of まっすぐ meaning straight or upright.
Don't confuse with 斜 (はす) is an older, more literary word for diagonal that shares a kanji with 斜め but is rarely used in ordinary conversation.
横 means 'side' or 'horizontal direction', which learners can confuse with 斜め's meaning of 'diagonal', a different angle entirely.
Word family· 8 diagonally; obliquely; at an angle
diagonally upward · completely unexpected direction; off-the-wall
face in three-quarter view
worn across the body; crossbody
Etymology Derived from the stem 斜 (なな, 'diagonal') + suffix め (indicating direction or state). The reading なのめ is an older form now considered obsolete.
10%
Kana spelling is common in casual writing and when the kanji is not needed.
斜 Usage 1% i Usage for this spelling across all readings, not one reading alone.
irregular okurigana
