Japanese symbol for “elusive”
神出鬼没
しんしゅつきぼつ
Romaji: shinshutsukibotsu
appearing in unexpected places and at unexpected moments; elusive; phantom
In Japanese, elusive is 神出鬼没, read しんしゅつきぼつ (shinshutsukibotsu).
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-no, n appearing in unexpected places and at unexpected moments; elusive; phantom
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “elusive”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 出没自在 | しゅつぼつじざい shutsubotsujizai | appearing and disappearing at will; elusive; phantom-like |
| 要領を得ない | ようりょうをえない youryouoenai | irrelevant; vague; beside the mark |
| ヌーボー | ヌーボー nuuboo | vague; fuzzy; elusive |
| 捉えどころのない | とらえどころのない toraedokorononai | hard to figure out; elusive; slippery |
| つかみ所のない | つかみどころのない tsukamidokorononai | vague; fuzzy; elusive |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 精神 | せいしん seishin | mind; spirit; soul |
| 神経 | しんけい shinkei | nerve |
| 神社 | じんじゃ jinja | Shinto shrine |
| 神様 | かみさま kamisama | God; god; deity |
| 神話 | しんわ shinwa | myth; mythology |
| 阪神 | はんしん hanshin | Osaka-Kobe |
| 出演 | しゅつえん shutsuen | appearance (in a film, play, TV show, etc.); performance |
| 出す | だす dasu | to take out; to get out |
| 吸血鬼 | きゅうけつき kyuuketsuki | vampire; bloodsucker |
| 没頭 | ぼっとう bottou | immersing oneself in; being absorbed in; devoting oneself to |
See also: Chinese symbol for “elusive”.
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.