King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “crying”

Romaji: nakunaku
tearfully; in tears; weeping; crying

In Japanese, crying is , read (nakunaku).

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. adv tearfully; in tears; weeping; crying
  2. adv reluctantly; unwillingly; with a heavy heart

Kanji and stroke order

cry, weep, moan
on: キュウ
kun: な.く
8 strokes · JLPT 2
cry, weep, moan
on: キュウ
kun: な.く
8 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “crying”

WordReadingMeaning
りゅうてい ryuuteicrying; delacrimation
ぐずりなき guzurinakicrying (of a peevish baby)
ようよう youyoucrying (of a deer)
オギャー ogyaawhaaa; wah-wah; crying (of a newborn)
あめしずく ameshizukuraindrop; crying

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
なき nakiweeping; lamenting
ごうきゅう goukyuucrying loudly; bawling; wailing
なきごえ nakigoecry (e.g. of a baby); sob; whine
なく nakuto cry; to shed tears; to weep
なかせる nakaseruto make someone cry; to move someone to tears
くやしなき kuyashinakicrying from vexation; tears of regret

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.

Last posts

  1. How Long Should a Bokken Be for Your Height
  2. Red Oak vs White Oak for Bokken Which Wood Wins
  3. Best Bokken for Beginners: Choosing Your First Training Sword
  4. Best Escrima Sticks for Students Choosing Your First Pair
  5. Essential Accessories for Your First Pair of Escrima Sticks
  6. Best Escrima Sticks for Your First Seminar
  7. Best Canes for Cane-Fu and Hapkido Training
  8. Which Rattan Sticks Have the Most Nodes for Durability
  9. Choosing Filipino Martial Arts Sticks for Double Work
  10. Choosing a Cane for Self-Defense Class Training