Japanese symbol for “discouragement”
落胆
らくたん
Romaji: rakutan
discouragement; despondency; dejection; disappointment
In Japanese, discouragement is 落胆, read らくたん (rakutan).
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, vi, vs discouragement; despondency; dejection; disappointment
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “discouragement”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 悲観 | ひかん hikan | pessimism; (taking a) gloomy view; discouragement |
| 挫折 | ざせつ zasetsu | setback; failure (e.g. plans, business); frustration |
| 力抜け | ちからぬけ chikaranuke | discouragement; disappointment |
| 力落し | ちからおとし chikaraotoshi | discouragement; disappointment; loss of energy |
| 意気消沈 | いきしょうちん ikishouchin | low spirits; depression; dejection |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 落ちる | おちる ochiru | to fall; to drop; to come down |
| 落ち | おち ochi | slip; omission |
| 墜落 | ついらく tsuiraku | fall; crash (of an aircraft) |
| 落とす | おとす otosu | to drop; to lose; to let fall |
| 落語 | らくご rakugo | rakugo; traditional Japanese comic storytelling; comic story (told by a professional storyteller) |
| 落下 | らっか rakka | fall; drop; descent |
| 大胆 | だいたん daitan | bold; daring; audacious |
| 魂胆 | こんたん kontan | ulterior motive; plot; scheme |
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.