Japanese symbol for “forlorn”
寂しい
さびしい
Romaji: sabishii
lonely (e.g. person, feeling); lonesome; forlorn
In Japanese, forlorn is 寂しい, read さびしい (sabishii).
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-i lonely (e.g. person, feeling); lonesome; forlorn
- adj-i desolate; deserted; lonely (e.g. place); isolated; solitary
- adj-i sad
- adj-i lacking; wanting; insufficient
Written forms: 寂しい、淋しい. Readings: さびしい、さみしい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “forlorn”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 心細い | こころぼそい kokorobosoi | helpless; forlorn; hopeless |
| 寂寞 | せきばく sekibaku | lonely; lonesome; dreary |
| 寂寞 | じゃくまく jakumaku | lonely; lonesome; dreary |
| うら寂しい | うらさびしい urasabishii | lonesome; lonely; forlorn |
| 陰々 | いんいん in'in | dark and desolate; forlorn |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 静寂 | せいじゃく seijaku | silence; stillness; quietness |
| 寂しげ | さびしげ sabishige | seeming lonely |
| 寂寥 | せきりょう sekiryou | loneliness; desolateness |
| 寂寞 | せきばく sekibaku | lonely; lonesome; dreary |
See also: Chinese symbol for “forlorn”.
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.