Japanese symbol for “foreboding”
前兆
ぜんちょう
Romaji: zenchou
omen; portent; sign; presage
In Japanese, foreboding is 前兆, read ぜんちょう (zenchou).
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 omen; portent; sign; presage; harbinger; premonition
Written forms: 前兆、前徴. Readings: ぜんちょう.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “foreboding”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 知らせ | しらせ shirase | omen; foreboding; premonition |
| 虫の知らせ | むしのしらせ mushinoshirase | feeling in one's bones; foreboding; premonition |
| 予覚 | よかく yokaku | hunch; foreboding; premonition |
| 薄氷を踏む思い | はくひょうをふむおもい hakuhyouofumuomoi | sense of impending doom; foreboding; feeling of grave danger |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 名前 | なまえ namae | name |
| 以前 | いぜん izen | before; prior to; ago |
| お前 | おまえ omae | you |
| 前回 | ぜんかい zenkai | previous time; last time; previous installment |
| 午前 | ごぜん gozen | morning; a.m. |
| 当たり前 | あたりまえ atarimae | natural; reasonable; obvious |
| 兆し | きざし kizashi | sign; indication; omen |
| 兆候 | ちょうこう choukou | sign; indication; omen |
See also: Chinese symbol for “foreboding”.
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.