Japanese symbol for “grieving”
嘆息
たんそく
Romaji: tansoku
sigh (of grief, disappointment, etc.); grieving; lamenting; deploring
In Japanese, grieving is 嘆息, read たんそく (tansoku).
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
- n, vi, vs sigh (of grief, disappointment, etc.); grieving; lamenting; deploring
Written forms: 嘆息、歎息. Readings: たんそく.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “grieving”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 哀痛 | あいつう aitsuu | grieving; mourning; being very sad |
| 憂思 | ゆうし yuushi | grieving |
| 悼惜 | とうせき touseki | mourning; grieving |
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 |
| 息子 | むすこ musuko | son |
| 消息 | しょうそく shousoku | news (from someone); letter; contact |
| 利息 | りそく risoku | interest (on a loan, deposit etc.) |
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.