Japanese symbol for “gauche”

不器用

ぶきよう

Romaji: bukiyou

clumsy; awkward; unskillful

In Japanese, gauche is 不器用, read ぶきよう (bukiyou).

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 clumsy; awkward; unskillful
adj-na, n incompetent; inept; bungling; (socially) awkward; gawky; gauche

Written forms: 不器用、無器用. Readings: ぶきよう.

Kanji and stroke order

不

negative, non-, bad

on: フ、ブ

4 strokes · JLPT 3

器

utensil, vessel, receptacle

on: キ
kun: うつわ

15 strokes · JLPT 2

用

utilize, business, service

on: ヨウ
kun: もち.いる

5 strokes · JLPT 3

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
不明	ふめい fumei	unclear; obscure; indistinct
不安	ふあん fuan	anxiety; uneasiness; worry
不足	ふそく fusoku	insufficiency; deficiency; shortage
不満	ふまん fuman	dissatisfaction; discontent; displeasure
不可能	ふかのう fukanou	impossible
不思議	ふしぎ fushigi	wonderful; marvelous; strange
武器	ぶき buki	weapon; arms; ordnance
兵器	へいき heiki	arms; weapon; ordnance
使用	しよう shiyou	use; application; employment

See also: Chinese symbol for “gauche”.

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.