Japanese symbol for “crying”
泣く泣く
なくなく
Romaji: nakunaku
tearfully; in tears; weeping; crying
In Japanese, crying is 泣く泣く, read なくなく (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
- adv tearfully; in tears; weeping; crying
- adv reluctantly; unwillingly; with a heavy heart
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “crying”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 流涕 | りゅうてい ryuutei | crying; delacrimation |
| ぐずり泣き | ぐずりなき guzurinaki | crying (of a peevish baby) |
| 呦呦 | ようよう youyou | crying (of a deer) |
| オギャー | オギャー ogyaa | whaaa; wah-wah; crying (of a newborn) |
| 雨雫 | あめしずく ameshizuku | raindrop; crying |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 泣き | なき naki | weeping; lamenting |
| 号泣 | ごうきゅう goukyuu | crying loudly; bawling; wailing |
| 泣き声 | なきごえ nakigoe | cry (e.g. of a baby); sob; whine |
| 泣く | なく naku | to cry; to shed tears; to weep |
| 泣かせる | なかせる nakaseru | to make someone cry; to move someone to tears |
| 悔し泣き | くやしなき kuyashinaki | crying 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.