Japanese symbol for “callous”
非情
ひじょう
Romaji: hijou
cold-hearted; callous; unfeeling; cruel
In Japanese, callous is 非情, read ひじょう (hijou).
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 cold-hearted; callous; unfeeling; cruel
- adj-na, adj-no, n insentient (objects); insensate; inanimate (Buddh)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “callous”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 無関心 | むかんしん mukanshin | apathetic; indifferent; nonchalant |
| 無神経 | むしんけい mushinkei | insensitive; inconsiderate; callous |
| 酷薄 | こくはく kokuhaku | cruel; inhumane; callous |
| 殺生 | せっしょう sesshou | cruel; heartless; callous |
| 冷淡無情 | れいたんむじょう reitanmujou | cold-hearted; callous; pitiless |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 非常 | ひじょう hijou | emergency |
| 是非 | ぜひ zehi | certainly; without fail |
| 非難 | ひなん hinan | criticism; blame; censure |
| 非公式 | ひこうしき hikoushiki | informal; unofficial |
| 非公開 | ひこうかい hikoukai | private; non-public; secret |
| 非行 | ひこう hikou | delinquency; misconduct |
| 情報 | じょうほう jouhou | information; news; report |
| 感情 | かんじょう kanjou | emotion; feeling; feelings |
See also: Chinese symbol for “callous”.
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.