Japanese symbol for “cruelty”
冷酷
れいこく
Romaji: reikoku
cruelty; coldheartedness; relentless; ruthless
In Japanese, cruelty is 冷酷, read れいこく (reikoku).
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 cruelty; coldheartedness; relentless; ruthless
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “cruelty”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 虐待 | ぎゃくたい gyakutai | abuse; ill-treatment; maltreatment |
| 無情 | むじょう mujou | heartlessness; hardness of heart; coldheartedness |
| 刻 | こく koku | strictness; cruelty |
| 残忍性 | ざんにんせい zanninsei | brutal (nature); brutality; blood lust |
| 惨酷 | さんこく sankoku | atrocity; cruelty; brutality |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 冷静 | れいせい reisei | calmness; composure; coolness |
| 冷蔵庫 | れいぞうこ reizouko | refrigerator; fridge |
| 冷凍 | れいとう reitou | freezing; cold storage; refrigeration |
| 冷戦 | れいせん reisen | cold war; the Cold War |
| 冷房 | れいぼう reibou | air conditioning; air cooling |
| 冷たい | つめたい tsumetai | cold (to the touch); chilly; icy |
| 残酷 | ざんこく zankoku | cruel; brutal; ruthless |
| 過酷 | かこく kakoku | severe; harsh; hard |
See also: Chinese symbol for “cruelty”.
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.