Japanese symbol for “depression”
不況
ふきょう
Romaji: fukyou
(economic) depression; recession; slump
In Japanese, depression is 不況, read ふきょう (fukyou).
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
- n (economic) depression; recession; slump
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “depression”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 不振 | ふしん fushin | dullness; slump; stagnation |
| 降下 | こうか kouka | descent; fall; drop |
| 低地 | ていち teichi | depression; lowlands; low ground |
| 不景気 | ふけいき fukeiki | economic slump; hard times; depression |
| 鬱 | うつ utsu | depression; low spirits |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 不明 | ふめい fumei | unclear; obscure; indistinct |
| 不安 | ふあん fuan | anxiety; uneasiness; worry |
| 不足 | ふそく fusoku | insufficiency; deficiency; shortage |
| 不満 | ふまん fuman | dissatisfaction; discontent; displeasure |
| 不可能 | ふかのう fukanou | impossible |
| 不思議 | ふしぎ fushigi | wonderful; marvelous; strange |
| 状況 | じょうきょう joukyou | state of affairs; situation; conditions |
| 実況 | じっきょう jikkyou | actual state (of things); actual conditions; actual scene |
See also: Chinese symbol for “depression”.
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.