Japanese symbol for “distress”
痛み
いたみ
Romaji: itami
pain; ache; soreness; grief
In Japanese, distress is 痛み, read いたみ (itami).
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 pain; ache; soreness; grief; distress
- n damage; injury; wear; bruise; break
Written forms: 痛み、傷み. Readings: いたみ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “distress”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 困難 | こんなん konnan | difficulty; hardship; trouble |
| 悩み | なやみ nayami | trouble; troubles; worry |
| 苦しみ | くるしみ kurushimi | pain; anguish; distress |
| 苦痛 | くつう kutsuu | pain; agony; suffering |
| 苦悩 | くのう kunou | (mental) agony; anguish; suffering |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 痛い | いたい itai | painful; sore |
| 頭痛 | ずつう zutsuu | headache |
| 苦痛 | くつう kutsuu | pain; agony; suffering |
| 痛烈 | つうれつ tsuuretsu | severe; bitter; scathing |
| 痛感 | つうかん tsuukan | feeling keenly; fully realizing |
See also: Chinese symbol for “distress”.
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.