Japanese symbol for “grieve”
嘆く
なげく
Romaji: nageku
to lament; to grieve; to regret
In Japanese, grieve is 嘆く, read なげく (nageku).
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
- v5k, vi, vt to lament; to grieve; to regret
- v5k, vt to deplore
Written forms: 嘆く、歎く. Readings: なげく.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “grieve”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 泣かせる | なかせる nakaseru | to grieve |
| 泣かす | なかす nakasu | to grieve |
| 嘆じる | たんじる tanjiru | to grieve; to lament; to deplore |
| 嘆ずる | たんずる tanzuru | to grieve; to lament; to deplore |
| 憂える | うれえる ureeru | to lament; to grieve; to mourn |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 嘆き | なげき nageki | grief; lamentation |
| 嘆願 | たんがん tangan | entreaty; appeal; petition |
| 感嘆 | かんたん kantan | admiration; wonder; astonishment |
| 驚嘆 | きょうたん kyoutan | wonder; admiration; being struck with admiration |
| 悲嘆 | ひたん hitan | grief; sorrow; anguish |
| 嘆息 | たんそく tansoku | sigh (of grief, disappointment, etc.); grieving; lamenting |
See also: Chinese symbol for “grieve”.
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.