Japanese symbol for “heartbreaking”
痛ましい
いたましい
Romaji: itamashii
pitiful; heartbreaking; heartrending; touching
In Japanese, heartbreaking is 痛ましい, read いたましい (itamashii).
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-i pitiful; heartbreaking; heartrending; touching; tragic; sad
Written forms: 痛ましい、傷ましい. Readings: いたましい.
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 痛み | いたみ itami | pain; ache; soreness |
| 痛い | いたい itai | painful; sore |
| 頭痛 | ずつう zutsuu | headache |
| 苦痛 | くつう kutsuu | pain; agony; suffering |
| 痛烈 | つうれつ tsuuretsu | severe; bitter; scathing |
| 痛感 | つうかん tsuukan | feeling keenly; fully realizing |
See also: Chinese symbol for “heartbreaking”.
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.