Japanese symbol for “grim”
悲壮
ひそう
Romaji: hisou
tragic but brave; heroic; grim
In Japanese, grim is 悲壮, read ひそう (hisou).
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 tragic but brave; heroic; grim
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “grim”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 険しい | けわしい kewashii | grim; severe; stern |
| 冷厳 | れいげん reigen | grim; stern; stark |
| 渋い | しぶい shibui | sour (look); glum; grim |
| 厳つい | いかつい ikatsui | stern; grim; rough |
| 辛気臭い | しんきくさい shinkikusai | depressing; dark (e.g. story); grim (e.g. expression) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 悲劇 | ひげき higeki | tragedy; tragic drama; tragic play |
| 悲しみ | かなしみ kanashimi | sadness; sorrow; grief |
| 悲惨 | ひさん hisan | disastrous; tragic; miserable |
| 悲鳴 | ひめい himei | shriek; scream |
| 悲しい | かなしい kanashii | sad; miserable; unhappy |
| 悲観 | ひかん hikan | pessimism; (taking a) gloomy view; discouragement |
| 壮大 | そうだい soudai | magnificent; grand; majestic |
| 壮絶 | そうぜつ souzetsu | heroic; fierce; grand |
See also: Chinese symbol for “grim”.
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.