Japanese symbol for “awful”
最低
さいてい
Romaji: saitei
least; lowest; minimum
In Japanese, awful is 最低, read さいてい (saitei).
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
- adj-na, adj-no, n least; lowest; minimum
- adj-na, adj-no worst
- adj-na, adj-no awful; horrible; nasty; disgusting
- adv at the very least
Written forms: 最低. Readings: さいてい、サイテー、さいてー.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “awful”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 最悪 | さいあく saiaku | horrible; horrid; awful |
| 偉い | えらい erai | awful; terrible; serious |
| 凄まじい | すさまじい susamajii | terrible; dreadful; awful |
| 不味い | まずい mazui | bad(-tasting); unpalatable; unsavoury |
| 魔 | ま ma | dreaded; terrible; awful |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 最近 | さいきん saikin | recently; lately; these days |
| 最後 | さいご saigo | end; conclusion |
| 最初 | さいしょ saisho | beginning; outset; first |
| 最高 | さいこう saikou | best; supreme; wonderful |
| 最終 | さいしゅう saishuu | last; final; closing |
| 最大 | さいだい saidai | biggest; greatest; largest |
| 低下 | ていか teika | fall; decline; lowering |
| 低い | ひくい hikui | low (rank, degree, value, content, quality, etc.) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “awful”.
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.