King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “craven”

Romaji: hikyou
cowardly; craven

In Japanese, craven is , read (hikyou).

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

  1. adj-na, n cowardly; craven
  2. adj-na, n unfair; mean; sneaky; dirty; dastardly

Kanji and stroke order

lowly, base, vile
on: ヒ
kun: いや.しい、いや.しむ、いや.しめる
9 strokes · JLPT 1
cowardice, wince, flinch
on: キョウ、コウ
kun: ひる.む、おびえ.る、おじる、おび.える
8 strokes

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
ひれつ hiretsumean; contemptible; despicable
ひくつ hikutsuservile; subservient; obsequious
だんそんじょひ dansonjohimale domination of women; male chauvinism; subjection of women
ひげ higeself-abasement; self-depreciation; humility
いやしい iyashiilowborn; humble; lowly
おびえる obieruto become frightened; to be frightened (of); to be scared (of)
おびえ obiefear; dread; fright
ひるむ hirumuto falter; to flinch (from); to recoil (from)

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.

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