King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “inferiority”

Romaji: ressei
inferiority (e.g. numerical); inferior position; disadvantage; unfavorable situation

In Japanese, inferiority is , read (ressei).

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

  1. adj-na, adj-no, n inferiority (e.g. numerical); inferior position; disadvantage; unfavorable situation; unfavourable situation

Kanji and stroke order

inferiority, be inferior to, be worse
on: レツ
kun: おと.る
6 strokes · JLPT 1
forces, energy, military strength
on: セイ、ゼイ
kun: いきお.い、はずみ
13 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “inferiority”

WordReadingMeaning
げ gelowness (of degree, value, etc.); inferiority
した shitainferiority; one's inferior (i.e. one's junior)
れっとう rettouinferiority; low grade
そんしょく sonshokuinferiority
れっせい resseiinferiority; recessiveness

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
れっか rekkadeterioration (in quality, performance, etc.); degradation; worsening
おとる otoruto be inferior to; to be less good at; to fall behind
ひれつ hiretsumean; contemptible; despicable
ゆうれつ yuuretsu(relative) merits; superiority or inferiority; quality
れつあく retsuakupoor (quality, conditions, etc.); bad; inferior
しせい shiseiposture; pose; position
せいりょく seiryokuinfluence; power; might
いきおい ikioiforce; vigor; vigour

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.

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