Japanese symbol for “faltering”
躊躇い
ためらい
Romaji: tamerai
faltering; hesitation
In Japanese, faltering is 躊躇い, read ためらい (tamerai).
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, vs faltering; hesitation
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “faltering”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 尻込み | しりごみ shirigomi | hesitation; wavering; faltering |
| よろよろ | よろよろ yoroyoro | tottering; staggering; faltering |
| 辿々しい | たどたどしい tadotadoshii | faltering; tottering; halting |
| 訥々 | とつとつ totsutotsu | halting (speech); faltering; stammering |
| 淀み | よどみ yodomi | faltering; hesitation; pause |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 躊躇 | ちゅうちょ chuucho | hesitation; indecision; vacillation |
| 躊躇う | ためらう tamerau | to hesitate to; to waver; to be hesitant about |
| 躊躇逡巡 | ちゅうちょしゅんじゅん chuuchoshunjun | hesitation and vacillation |
See also: Chinese symbol for “faltering”.
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.