Japanese symbol for “dogged”
頑強
がんきょう
Romaji: gankyou
stubborn; dogged; persistent; tenacious
In Japanese, dogged is 頑強, read がんきょう (gankyou).
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 stubborn; dogged; persistent; tenacious
- adj-na tough; sturdy; hardy; strong
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “dogged”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| しぶとい | しぶとい shibutoi | tenacious; tough; enduring |
| 性懲りもない | しょうこりもない shoukorimonai | incorrigible; dogged |
| 粘っこい | ねばっこい nebakkoi | tenacious; persistent; dogged |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 頑張る | がんばる ganbaru | to persevere; to persist; to keep at it |
| 頑固 | がんこ ganko | stubborn; obstinate; pigheaded |
| 頑張り | がんばり ganbari | tenacity; endurance |
| 頑丈 | がんじょう ganjou | solid; firm; stout |
| 頑張れ | がんばれ ganbare | hang in there; go for it; keep at it |
| 勉強 | べんきょう benkyou | study |
| 強化 | きょうか kyouka | strengthening; intensifying; reinforcement |
| 強い | つよい tsuyoi | strong; potent; competent |
See also: Chinese symbol for “dogged”.
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.