Japanese symbol for “idleness”
無駄
むだ
Romaji: muda
futility; waste; uselessness; pointlessness
In Japanese, idleness is 無駄, read むだ (muda).
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 futility; waste; uselessness; pointlessness; idleness
Written forms: 無駄、徒. Readings: むだ、ムダ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “idleness”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 無為 | むい mui | idleness; inactivity |
| 不勉強 | ふべんきょう fubenkyou | idleness; lack of application; lazy study habits |
| 安逸 | あんいつ an'itsu | (idle) ease; idleness; leisureliness |
| 徒食 | としょく toshoku | idle life; idleness |
| 懐手 | ふところで futokorode | with hands in pockets; idleness |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 無料 | むりょう muryou | free (of charge); gratuitous |
| 無理 | むり muri | unreasonable; unnatural; unjustifiable |
| 無事 | ぶじ buji | safety; security; peace |
| 無線 | むせん musen | radio (communication) |
| 無理やり | むりやり muriyari | forcibly; by force; against one's will |
| 駄目 | だめ dame | no good; not serving its purpose; useless |
| 無駄遣い | むだづかい mudazukai | waste (of money, time, etc.); squandering; frittering away |
| 駄菓子 | だがし dagashi | penny candy; cheap individually wrapped sweets |
See also: Chinese symbol for “idleness”.
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.