Japanese symbol for “irritation”
刺激
しげき
Romaji: shigeki
stimulus; stimulation; irritation (esp. of the body, e.g. skin, eyes)
In Japanese, irritation is 刺激, read しげき (shigeki).
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, vs, vt stimulus; stimulation; irritation (esp. of the body, e.g. skin, eyes)
- n, vs, vt impetus; impulse; stimulus; spur; incentive; encouragement
- n, vs, vt excitement; thrill
Written forms: 刺激、刺戟. Readings: しげき.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “irritation”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 炎症 | えんしょう enshou | inflammation; irritation |
| 焦燥 | しょうそう shousou | impatience; irritation; frustration |
| 苛立ち | いらだち iradachi | irritation; annoyance; frustration |
| 癪 | しゃく shaku | annoyance; irritation; vexation |
| 憤懣 | ふんまん funman | (pent-up) anger; indignation; resentment |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 名刺 | めいし meishi | business card |
| 刺身 | さしみ sashimi | sashimi (raw sliced fish, shellfish or crustaceans) |
| 風刺 | ふうし fuushi | satire; irony; sarcasm |
| 刺す | さす sasu | to pierce; to stab; to prick |
| 刺さる | ささる sasaru | to stick into (of something with a sharp point); to prick; to pierce |
| 急激 | きゅうげき kyuugeki | sudden; abrupt; rapid |
| 激しい | はげしい hageshii | violent; furious; tempestuous |
| 感激 | かんげき kangeki | deep emotion; impression; inspiration |
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.