Chinese symbol for “depressed”
抑郁
yì yù
Traditional: 抑鬱
depressed; despondent; gloomy
The closest CC-CEDICT match for depressed is 抑郁 (yì yù), defined as: depressed; despondent; gloomy.
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.
Characters and stroke order
Traditional forms
Other Chinese words for “depressed”
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 苦闷 (苦悶) | kǔ mèn | depressed; dejected |
| 闷闷不乐 (悶悶不樂) | mèn mèn bù lè | depressed; sulky |
| 愤懑 (憤懣) | fèn mèn | depressed; resentful |
| 忧郁 (憂鬱) | yōu yù | sullen; depressed; melancholy; dejected |
| 郁郁寡欢 (鬱鬱寡歡) | yù yù guǎ huān | (idiom) depressed; cheerless |
Related words
Other words that share a character with 抑郁.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 抑制 | yì zhì | to inhibit; to keep down |
| 压抑 (壓抑) | yā yì | to constrain or repress emotions; oppressive |
| 抑或 | yì huò | or; could it be that...? |
| 抑郁症 (抑鬱症) | yì yù zhèng | clinical depression |
| 抑制剂 (抑制劑) | yì zhì jì | suppressant; inhibitor |
| 忧郁 (憂鬱) | yōu yù | sullen; depressed; melancholy; dejected |
| 郁闷 (鬱悶) | yù mèn | gloomy; depressed |
| 浓郁 (濃郁) | nóng yù | rich; strong |
See also: Japanese symbol for “depressed”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.