Japanese symbol for “horrible”
最悪
さいあく
Romaji: saiaku
worst
In Japanese, horrible is 最悪, read さいあく (saiaku).
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 worst
- adj-na, int horrible; horrid; awful; terrible
- adv in the worst case; if worst comes to worst
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “horrible”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 嫌 | いや iya | unpleasant; disagreeable; nasty |
| 最低 | さいてい saitei | awful; horrible; nasty |
| 凄まじい | すさまじい susamajii | terrible; dreadful; awful |
| 憎らしい | にくらしい nikurashii | odious; hateful; detestable |
| 無残 | むざん muzan | pitiful; tragic; horrible |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 最近 | さいきん saikin | recently; lately; these days |
| 最後 | さいご saigo | end; conclusion |
| 最初 | さいしょ saisho | beginning; outset; first |
| 最高 | さいこう saikou | best; supreme; wonderful |
| 最終 | さいしゅう saishuu | last; final; closing |
| 最大 | さいだい saidai | biggest; greatest; largest |
| 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 “horrible”.
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.