Japanese symbol for “hideous”
醜悪
しゅうあく
Romaji: shuuaku
ugly; unsightly; hideous; mean
In Japanese, hideous is 醜悪, read しゅうあく (shuuaku).
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 ugly; unsightly; hideous; mean; repulsive; disgraceful
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “hideous”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 気味が悪い | きみがわるい kimigawarui | creepy (feeling); uneasy (feeling); bad (feeling) |
| 悍ましい | おぞましい ozomashii | appalling; horrifying; dreadful |
| 醜怪 | しゅうかい shuukai | monstrously ugly; hideous; ugly and bizarre |
| 気味の悪い | きみのわるい kiminowarui | creepy (feeling); uneasy (feeling); bad (feeling) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 醜い | みにくい minikui | ugly; unattractive; bad-looking |
| 醜態 | しゅうたい shuutai | disgraceful behavior; disgraceful behaviour; shameful conduct |
| 醜聞 | しゅうぶん shuubun | scandal |
| 醜女 | しゅうじょ shuujo | ugly woman; unattractive woman |
| 美醜 | びしゅう bishuu | beauty or ugliness |
| 最悪 | さいあく saiaku | worst |
| 悪口 | わるぐち waruguchi | (verbal) abuse; speaking ill of people; bad-mouthing |
| 悪化 | あっか akka | deterioration; getting worse; worsening |
See also: Chinese symbol for “hideous”.
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.