Japanese symbol for “drudgery”
苦役
くえき
Romaji: kueki
toil; drudgery
In Japanese, drudgery is 苦役, read くえき (kueki).
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 toil; drudgery
- n penal servitude; imprisonment (with hard labour)
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 苦手 | にがて nigate | poor (at); weak (in); not very good (at) |
| 苦労 | くろう kurou | trouble; hardship; difficulty |
| 苦しみ | くるしみ kurushimi | pain; anguish; distress |
| 苦痛 | くつう kutsuu | pain; agony; suffering |
| 苦情 | くじょう kujou | complaint; troubles; objection |
| 苦しい | くるしい kurushii | painful; difficult; tough |
| 役割 | やくわり yakuwari | part; assigning (allotment of) parts; role |
| 現役 | げんえき gen'eki | active duty; active service |
See also: Chinese symbol for “drudgery”.
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.