Japanese symbol for “derogatory”

侮蔑的

ぶべつてき

Romaji: bubetsuteki

insulting; derogatory

In Japanese, derogatory is 侮蔑的, read ぶべつてき (bubetsuteki).

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 insulting; derogatory

Kanji and stroke order

侮

scorn, despise, make light of

on: ブ
kun: あなど.る、あなず.る

8 strokes · JLPT 1

蔑

ignore, despise, neglect

on: ベツ
kun: ないがしろ、なみ.する、くらい、さげす.む

14 strokes

的

bull's eye, mark, target

on: テキ
kun: まと

8 strokes · JLPT 2

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
侮辱	ぶじょく bujoku	insult; affront; slight
侮蔑	ぶべつ bubetsu	scorn; disdain; contempt
侮る	あなどる anadoru	to disdain; to look down on; to make light of
侮り	あなどり anadori	contempt; scorn
軽侮	けいぶ keibu	contempt; scorn
侮言	ぶげん bugen	insult
軽蔑	けいべつ keibetsu	contempt; scorn; disdain
蔑視	べっし besshi	contempt; derision; slight
目的	もくてき mokuteki	purpose; goal; aim

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.