Japanese symbol for “gloomy”
難しい
むずかしい
Romaji: muzukashii
difficult; hard; troublesome; complicated
In Japanese, gloomy is 難しい, read むずかしい (muzukashii).
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; hard; troublesome; complicated; serious (disease, problem, etc.)
- adj-i impossible; unfeasible
- adj-i fussy; particular; fastidious; hard to please; displeased
- adj-i gloomy; glum; sullen; serious (look)
- adj-i dirty; unclean; filthy; detestable
- adj-i unpleasant; uncomfortable; creepy; spooky
Written forms: 難しい、六借しい、六ヶ敷い、六かしい. Readings: むずかしい、むつかしい、むづかしい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “gloomy”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 陰気 | いんき inki | gloomy; dismal; miserable |
| 暗い | くらい kurai | dark; gloomy; murky |
| 薄暗い | うすぐらい usugurai | dim; gloomy |
| 鬱陶しい | うっとうしい uttoushii | gloomy (e.g. mood); depressing |
| 不景気 | ふけいき fukeiki | gloomy; cheerless; dismal |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 困難 | こんなん konnan | difficulty; hardship; trouble |
| 避難 | ひなん hinan | taking refuge; finding shelter; evacuation |
| 非難 | ひなん hinan | criticism; blame; censure |
| 難民 | なんみん nanmin | refugee; displaced person |
| 盗難 | とうなん tounan | theft; robbery |
See also: Chinese symbol for “gloomy”.
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.