Japanese symbol for “intractable”
難治
なんじ
Romaji: nanji
intractable (diseases); hard to cure
In Japanese, intractable is 難治, read なんじ (nanji).
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-no, n intractable (diseases); hard to cure
- adj-no, n rebellious; insurgent; refractory; obstinate
Written forms: 難治. Readings: なんじ、なんち.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “intractable”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 角角しい | かどかどしい kadokadoshii | intractable; angular |
| 解き難い | ときがたい tokigatai | difficult to solve; intractable (problem) |
| 始末が悪い | しまつがわるい shimatsugawarui | hard to deal with; hard to handle; difficult |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 難しい | むずかしい muzukashii | difficult; hard; troublesome |
| 困難 | こんなん konnan | difficulty; hardship; trouble |
| 避難 | ひなん hinan | taking refuge; finding shelter; evacuation |
| 非難 | ひなん hinan | criticism; blame; censure |
| 難民 | なんみん nanmin | refugee; displaced person |
| 盗難 | とうなん tounan | theft; robbery |
| 政治 | せいじ seiji | politics; government |
| 治療 | ちりょう chiryou | (medical) treatment; care; therapy |
See also: Chinese symbol for “intractable”.
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.