Japanese symbol for “bovine”

鈍重

どんじゅう

Romaji: donjuu

thickheaded; slow-witted; phlegmatic; stolid

In Japanese, bovine is 鈍重, read どんじゅう (donjuu).

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, n thickheaded; slow-witted; phlegmatic; stolid; bovine
adj-na, n slow (of one's movements); sluggish

Kanji and stroke order

鈍

dull, slow, foolish

on: ドン
kun: にぶ.い、にぶ.る、にぶ-、なま.る

12 strokes · JLPT 2

重

heavy, important, esteem

on: ジュウ、チョウ
kun: え、おも.い、おも.り、おも.なう

9 strokes · JLPT 3

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
鈍感	どんかん donkan	thickheaded; insensitive; dull
鈍い	にぶい nibui	dull (e.g. a knife); blunt
鈍器	どんき donki	blunt weapon
鈍化	どんか donka	becoming dull; slowing down
鈍る	にぶる niburu	to become blunt; to grow dull
重要	じゅうよう juuyou	important; essential; significant
体重	たいじゅう taijuu	(body) weight
貴重	きちょう kichou	precious; valuable

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.