Japanese Symbol for
未来mirai
future · what is yet to come
Readings
Meaning
Future, what is yet to come. 未来 literally means "not yet come" — 未 (not yet) + 来 (to come). This gives it a sense of potential and possibility — the future as something still unfolding, not predetermined.
Example words
将来
shōrai
future (near future, career prospects)
未来志向
mirai shikō
future-oriented thinking
未来予測
mirai yosoku
future prediction, forecast
過去・現在・未来
kako · genzai · mirai
past, present, future
明日
ashita / myōnichi
tomorrow (near future)
可能性
kanōsei
possibility, potential
未来 (mirai) is a popular name in Japan for children born in the new millennium, symbolizing the promise of what's to come. The anime Mirai (2018) by Mamoru Hosoda explores time travel through family connections. In Japanese, the future tense doesn't exist as a separate grammatical form — the same verb form describes both present habits and future actions, reflecting the Buddhist view of time as flowing continuously.
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