Japanese symbol for “formidable”
手ごわい
てごわい
Romaji: tegowai
difficult; tough; formidable; redoubtable
In Japanese, formidable is 手ごわい, read てごわい (tegowai).
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 difficult; tough; formidable; redoubtable; stubborn
Written forms: 手ごわい、手強い. Readings: てごわい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “formidable”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| きつい | きつい kitsui | determined; strong-minded; forceful |
| 侮りがたい | あなどりがたい anadorigatai | formidable; not to be sneered at; not to be made light of |
| 厳めしい | いかめしい ikameshii | stern; grave; austere |
| 半端じゃない | はんぱじゃない hanpajanai | considerable; formidable; tremendous |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 相手 | あいて aite | companion; partner; company |
| 選手 | せんしゅ senshu | player (of a sport); athlete; team member |
| 手段 | しゅだん shudan | means; way; method |
| 手術 | しゅじゅつ shujutsu | surgery; operation; procedure |
| 大手 | おおて oote | major company; big company |
| 手紙 | てがみ tegami | letter; note |
See also: Chinese symbol for “formidable”.
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.