Japanese symbol for “detestable”
憎い
にくい
Romaji: nikui
hateful; detestable; abominable; vexing
In Japanese, detestable is 憎い, read にくい (nikui).
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 hateful; detestable; abominable; vexing; provoking
- adj-i amazing; fantastic; admirable; lovely; wonderful
Written forms: 憎い、悪い. Readings: にくい、ニクい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “detestable”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 難しい | むずかしい muzukashii | dirty; unclean; filthy |
| 忌まわしい | いまわしい imawashii | abhorrent; abominable; detestable |
| 憎らしい | にくらしい nikurashii | odious; hateful; detestable |
| 醜 | しこ shiko | ugly; repulsive; detestable |
| 恨めしい | うらめしい urameshii | resentful; bitter; reproachful |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 憎悪 | ぞうお zouo | hatred; abhorrence; loathing |
| 憎しみ | にくしみ nikushimi | hatred |
| 憎む | にくむ nikumu | to hate; to detest |
| 愛憎 | あいぞう aizou | love and hate |
| 生憎 | あいにく ainiku | unfortunately; sorry, but ... |
See also: Chinese symbol for “detestable”.
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.