Japanese symbol for “inflexible”
一徹
いってつ
Romaji: ittetsu
obstinate; stubborn; inflexible
In Japanese, inflexible is 一徹, read いってつ (ittetsu).
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 obstinate; stubborn; inflexible
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “inflexible”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 強い | こわい kowai | inflexible; obstinate; stubborn |
| 杓子定規 | しゃくしじょうぎ shakushijougi | strict; hidebound; inflexible |
| 不撓 | ふとう futou | unbending; inflexible; tenacity |
| ゴリゴリ | ゴリゴリ gorigori | inflexible; uncompromising; dyed-in-the-wool |
| ガチガチ | ガチガチ gachigachi | rigid (personality, thinking, etc.); inflexible; overly serious |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一緒 | いっしょ issho | (doing) together |
| 一番 | いちばん ichiban | number one; first; first place |
| 一つ | ひとつ hitotsu | one |
| 一般 | いっぱん ippan | general; universal |
| 一部 | いちぶ ichibu | one part; one portion; one section |
| 一方 | いっぽう ippou | one (esp. of two); the other; one way |
| 徹底 | てってい tettei | thoroughness; completeness; consistency |
| 徹夜 | てつや tetsuya | staying up all night |
See also: Chinese symbol for “inflexible”.
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.