Japanese symbol for “harsh”
過酷
かこく
Romaji: kakoku
severe; harsh; hard; cruel
In Japanese, harsh is 過酷, read かこく (kakoku).
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 severe; harsh; hard; cruel; rigorous
Written forms: 過酷、苛酷. Readings: かこく.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “harsh”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 辛い | からい karai | harsh (criticism); severe (punishment); strict |
| 酷 | こく koku | severe; harsh; stringent |
| 荒い | あらい arai | rough; wild; violent |
| 酷い | ひどい hidoi | cruel; heartless; hard |
| 渋い | しぶい shibui | astringent; bitter; puckery |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 過去 | かこ kako | the past; bygone days |
| 過ぎ | すぎ sugi | past; after |
| 過程 | かてい katei | process; course; mechanism |
| 経過 | けいか keika | passage (of time); elapsing; lapse |
| 通過 | つうか tsuuka | passing through (a tunnel, station, town, etc.); passing by (e.g. of a typhoon); transit |
| 過剰 | かじょう kajou | excess; surplus; superabundance |
| 残酷 | ざんこく zankoku | cruel; brutal; ruthless |
| 冷酷 | れいこく reikoku | cruelty; coldheartedness; relentless |
See also: Chinese symbol for “harsh”.
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.