Japanese symbol for “desperate”
必死
ひっし
Romaji: hisshi
frantic; frenetic; desperate
In Japanese, desperate is 必死, read ひっし (hisshi).
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, adj-no frantic; frenetic; desperate
- n inevitable death
- n brinkmate (inevitable checkmate) (shogi)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “desperate”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 躍起 | やっき yakki | desperate; frantic; excited |
| デスパレート | デスパレート desupareeto | desperate |
| 一向 | ひたぶる hitaburu | determined; single-minded; intent |
| 捨て鉢 | すてばち sutebachi | desperate; reckless |
| 絶望的 | ぜつぼうてき zetsubouteki | desperate; hopeless |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 必要 | ひつよう hitsuyou | necessary; needed; essential |
| 必ず | かならず kanarazu | always; without exception; necessarily |
| 必ずしも | かならずしも kanarazushimo | (not) always; (not) necessarily; (not) entirely |
| 必須 | ひっす hissu | indispensable; essential; requisite |
| 必然 | ひつぜん hitsuzen | inevitable; necessary; certain |
| 死亡 | しぼう shibou | death; dying; mortality |
| 死刑 | しけい shikei | death penalty; capital punishment |
| 死者 | ししゃ shisha | dead person; (the) deceased; (the) dead |
See also: Chinese symbol for “desperate”.
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.