Japanese symbol for “hapless”
薄幸
はっこう
Romaji: hakkou
unfortunate; unhappy; ill-fated; hapless
In Japanese, hapless is 薄幸, read はっこう (hakkou).
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, adj-no, n unfortunate; unhappy; ill-fated; hapless
Written forms: 薄幸、薄倖. Readings: はっこう.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “hapless”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 幸薄い | さちうすい sachiusui | unfortunate; unhappy; ill-fated |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 薄い | うすい usui | thin (of an object) |
| 薄暗い | うすぐらい usugurai | dim; gloomy |
| 希薄 | きはく kihaku | thin (air); weak (liquid); dilute |
| 軽薄 | けいはく keihaku | frivolous; flippant; superficial |
| 薄着 | うすぎ usugi | being lightly dressed |
| 品薄 | しなうす shinausu | shortage of stock; scarcity of goods; being in short supply |
| 幸せ | しあわせ shiawase | happiness; good fortune; luck |
| 不幸 | ふこう fukou | unhappiness; sorrow; misfortune |
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.