Japanese symbol for “difficult”
難しい
むずかしい
Romaji: muzukashii
difficult; hard; troublesome; complicated
In Japanese, difficult is 難しい, read むずかしい (muzukashii).
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 difficult; hard; troublesome; complicated; serious (disease, problem, etc.)
- adj-i impossible; unfeasible
- adj-i fussy; particular; fastidious; hard to please; displeased
- adj-i gloomy; glum; sullen; serious (look)
- adj-i dirty; unclean; filthy; detestable
- adj-i unpleasant; uncomfortable; creepy; spooky
Written forms: 難しい、六借しい、六ヶ敷い、六かしい. Readings: むずかしい、むつかしい、むづかしい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “difficult”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 大変 | たいへん taihen | difficult; hard; challenging |
| 苦しい | くるしい kurushii | painful; difficult; tough |
| 微妙 | びみょう bimyou | difficult; complex; tricky |
| 難い | かたい katai | difficult; hard |
| 不都合 | ふつごう futsugou | inconvenient; inexpedient; unfavourable |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 困難 | こんなん konnan | difficulty; hardship; trouble |
| 避難 | ひなん hinan | taking refuge; finding shelter; evacuation |
| 非難 | ひなん hinan | criticism; blame; censure |
| 難民 | なんみん nanmin | refugee; displaced person |
| 盗難 | とうなん tounan | theft; robbery |
See also: Chinese symbol for “difficult”.
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.