Japanese symbol for “failure”
失敗
しっぱい
Romaji: shippai
failure; mistake; blunder
In Japanese, failure is 失敗, read しっぱい (shippai).
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, vi, vs failure; mistake; blunder
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “failure”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 破綻 | はたん hatan | failure; collapse; breakdown |
| 故障 | こしょう koshou | fault; trouble; breakdown |
| 落第 | らくだい rakudai | failure (in an examination); failing to advance (to the next year) |
| 不成立 | ふせいりつ fuseiritsu | failure (e.g. of a bill, motion); falling through; rejection |
| 挫折 | ざせつ zasetsu | setback; failure (e.g. plans, business); frustration |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 損失 | そんしつ sonshitsu | loss (of assets, profit, etc.) |
| 失う | うしなう ushinau | to lose |
| 失業 | しつぎょう shitsugyou | unemployment |
| 失礼 | しつれい shitsurei | discourtesy; impoliteness |
| 喪失 | そうしつ soushitsu | loss; forfeit |
| 敗北 | はいぼく haiboku | defeat; loss; reverse |
| 腐敗 | ふはい fuhai | decomposition; putrefaction; putrescence |
| 敗戦 | はいせん haisen | defeat; lost battle; losing a war |
See also: Chinese symbol for “failure”.
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.