Japanese symbol for “evil”
悪
あく
Romaji: aku
evil; wickedness
In Japanese, evil is 悪, read あく (aku).
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 evil; wickedness
- n (role of) the villain (in theatre, etc.); the bad guy
Written forms: 悪、惡. Readings: あく.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “evil”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 黒い | くろい kuroi | evil; wicked; black-hearted |
| 悪い | わるい warui | evil; sinful |
| 邪 | よこしま yokoshima | wicked; evil; wrong |
| 邪悪 | じゃあく jaaku | wicked; evil |
| 厄 | やく yaku | misfortune; bad luck; evil |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 最悪 | さいあく saiaku | worst |
| 悪口 | わるぐち waruguchi | (verbal) abuse; speaking ill of people; bad-mouthing |
| 悪化 | あっか akka | deterioration; getting worse; worsening |
| 悪魔 | あくま akuma | devil; demon; fiend |
| 悪い | わるい warui | bad; poor; undesirable |
| 悪質 | あくしつ akushitsu | malicious; vicious; malignant |
See also: Chinese symbol for “evil”.
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.