Japanese symbol for “futility”
無駄
むだ
Romaji: muda
futility; waste; uselessness; pointlessness
In Japanese, futility is 無駄, read むだ (muda).
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-na, n futility; waste; uselessness; pointlessness; idleness
Written forms: 無駄、徒. Readings: むだ、ムダ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “futility”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 徒労 | とろう torou | fruitless effort; wasted effort; abortive scheme |
| ぺけ | ぺけ peke | failure; futility; uselessness |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 無料 | むりょう muryou | free (of charge); gratuitous |
| 無理 | むり muri | unreasonable; unnatural; unjustifiable |
| 無事 | ぶじ buji | safety; security; peace |
| 無線 | むせん musen | radio (communication) |
| 無理やり | むりやり muriyari | forcibly; by force; against one's will |
| 駄目 | だめ dame | no good; not serving its purpose; useless |
| 無駄遣い | むだづかい mudazukai | waste (of money, time, etc.); squandering; frittering away |
| 駄菓子 | だがし dagashi | penny candy; cheap individually wrapped sweets |
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.
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