Japanese symbol for “insensitive”
鈍感
どんかん
Romaji: donkan
thickheaded; insensitive; dull; thick-skinned
In Japanese, insensitive is 鈍感, read どんかん (donkan).
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, n thickheaded; insensitive; dull; thick-skinned
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “insensitive”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 鈍い | にぶい nibui | insensitive; dull (e.g. reflexes); unperceptive |
| 野暮 | やぼ yabo | boorish; unsophisticated; unrefined |
| 無神経 | むしんけい mushinkei | insensitive; inconsiderate; callous |
| 無感覚 | むかんかく mukankaku | numb; insensitive (e.g. to pain) |
| 神経の鈍い | しんけいのにぶい shinkeinonibui | insensitive; thick-skinned |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 鈍い | にぶい nibui | dull (e.g. a knife); blunt |
| 鈍器 | どんき donki | blunt weapon |
| 鈍化 | どんか donka | becoming dull; slowing down |
| 鈍る | にぶる niburu | to become blunt; to grow dull |
| 感じ | かんじ kanji | feeling; sense; impression |
| 感謝 | かんしゃ kansha | thanks; gratitude; appreciation |
| 感覚 | かんかく kankaku | sense; sensation; feeling |
| 感じる | かんじる kanjiru | to feel; to sense; to experience |
See also: Chinese symbol for “insensitive”.
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.