Japanese symbol for “bitter”
苦い
にがい
Romaji: nigai
bitter (taste)
In Japanese, bitter is 苦い, read にがい (nigai).
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-i bitter (taste)
- adj-i sour (expression, look); bitter; displeased; unpleasant
- adj-i bitter (e.g. experience); painful; distressing; hard; trying
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “bitter”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 悔しい | くやしい kuyashii | frustrated (over a failure, humiliation or injustice); annoyed; chagrined |
| 痛烈 | つうれつ tsuuretsu | severe; bitter; scathing |
| 辛い | つらい tsurai | painful; bitter; heart-breaking |
| 渋い | しぶい shibui | astringent; bitter; puckery |
| 辛辣 | しんらつ shinratsu | bitter (e.g. criticism); sharp; biting |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 苦手 | にがて nigate | poor (at); weak (in); not very good (at) |
| 苦労 | くろう kurou | trouble; hardship; difficulty |
| 苦しみ | くるしみ kurushimi | pain; anguish; distress |
| 苦痛 | くつう kutsuu | pain; agony; suffering |
| 苦情 | くじょう kujou | complaint; troubles; objection |
| 苦しい | くるしい kurushii | painful; difficult; tough |
See also: Chinese symbol for “bitter”.
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.