Japanese symbol for “illiterate”
無学
むがく
Romaji: mugaku
uneducated; ignorant; illiterate
In Japanese, illiterate is 無学, read むがく (mugaku).
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 uneducated; ignorant; illiterate
- n arhat; person who has attained nirvana (Buddh)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “illiterate”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 不文 | ふぶん fubun | illiterate; uneducated |
| 文盲 | もんもう monmou | illiterate person; an illiterate |
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 |
| 無駄 | むだ muda | futility; waste; uselessness |
| 無線 | むせん musen | radio (communication) |
| 無理やり | むりやり muriyari | forcibly; by force; against one's will |
| 学校 | がっこう gakkou | school |
| 大学 | だいがく daigaku | university; college |
See also: Chinese symbol for “illiterate”.
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.