Japanese symbol for “depressing”
鬱陶しい
うっとうしい
Romaji: uttoushii
gloomy (e.g. mood); depressing
In Japanese, depressing is 鬱陶しい, read うっとうしい (uttoushii).
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-i gloomy (e.g. mood); depressing
- adj-i irritating; troublesome
- adj-i heavy (weather); cloudy
Written forms: 鬱陶しい. Readings: うっとうしい、うっとおしい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “depressing”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 辛気臭い | しんきくさい shinkikusai | depressing; dark (e.g. story); grim (e.g. expression) |
| 押下 | おうか ouka | pressing down (button, keyboard, etc.); depressing; forcing down |
| しょぼい | しょぼい shoboi | shabby; dull; cheap |
| 暗澹 | あんたん antan | dark; gloomy; somber |
| 重たい | おもたい omotai | heavy (feeling, atmosphere, etc.); serious; gloomy |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 憂鬱 | ゆううつ yuuutsu | depression; melancholy; dejection |
| 鬱憤 | うっぷん uppun | resentment; grudge; pent-up anger |
| 陰鬱 | いんうつ in'utsu | gloomy; melancholy; dreary |
| 鬱屈 | うっくつ ukkutsu | gloomy |
| 躁鬱 | そううつ souutsu | manic depression; mood swing |
| 陶器 | とうき touki | pottery; earthenware; ceramics |
| 陶芸 | とうげい tougei | ceramic art; ceramics |
| 陶酔 | とうすい tousui | intoxication |
See also: Chinese symbol for “depressing”.
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.