Japanese symbol for “impasse”
行き詰まり
いきづまり
Romaji: ikizumari
deadlock; stalemate; impasse; dead end
In Japanese, impasse is 行き詰まり, read いきづまり (ikizumari).
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 deadlock; stalemate; impasse; dead end
Written forms: 行き詰まり、行き詰り、行詰り、行詰まり. Readings: いきづまり、ゆきづまり.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “impasse”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 手詰まり | てづまり tezumari | deadlock; stalemate; standstill |
| 頓挫 | とんざ tonza | setback; deadlock; standstill |
| 袋小路 | ふくろこうじ fukurokouji | deadlock; impasse; dead end |
| 膠着状態 | こうちゃくじょうたい kouchakujoutai | deadlock; standstill; stalemate |
| 持将棋 | じしょうぎ jishougi | drawn game; impasse |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 行動 | こうどう koudou | action; conduct; behaviour |
| 行う | おこなう okonau | to perform; to do; to conduct oneself |
| 銀行 | ぎんこう ginkou | bank; banking institution |
| 行き | いき iki | the way there; outbound leg; outbound trip |
| 行為 | こうい koui | act; deed; conduct |
| 旅行 | りょこう ryokou | travel; trip; journey |
| 缶詰 | かんづめ kanzume | canned food; tinned food |
| 詰まる | つまる tsumaru | to be packed (with); to be filled; to be full (e.g. of a schedule) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “impasse”.
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.