Japanese symbol for “illness”
病気
びょうき
Romaji: byouki
illness (usu. excluding minor ailments, e.g. common cold); disease; sickness
In Japanese, illness is 病気, read びょうき (byouki).
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
- n illness (usu. excluding minor ailments, e.g. common cold); disease; sickness
- n bad habit; bad behaviour; weakness; failing
- adj-no crazy; insane; disturbed; sick in the head
Written forms: 病気、病氣. Readings: びょうき、ビョーキ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “illness”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 症 | しょう shou | illness; condition; -pathy |
| 病 | やまい yamai | illness; disease |
| 疾病 | しっぺい shippei | illness; disease |
| 疾患 | しっかん shikkan | disease; illness; disorder |
| 煩い | わずらい wazurai | illness; sickness |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 病院 | びょういん byouin | hospital; clinic; doctor's office |
| 病状 | びょうじょう byoujou | condition of a patient; state of a disease; pathology |
| 病人 | びょうにん byounin | sick person; patient; invalid |
| 病室 | びょうしつ byoushitsu | sickroom; hospital room; ward |
| 看病 | かんびょう kanbyou | nursing (a patient) |
| 気持ち | きもち kimochi | feeling; sensation; mood |
| 人気 | にんき ninki | popularity; public favor |
| 気分 | きぶん kibun | feeling; mood |
See also: Chinese symbol for “illness”.
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.