Japanese symbol for “laborious”
骨
ほね
Romaji: hone
bone
In Japanese, laborious is 骨, read ほね (hone).
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 bone
- n frame
- n outline; core
- n backbone; spirit; fortitude
- adj-na, n laborious; troublesome; difficult
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “laborious”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 大儀 | たいぎ taigi | laborious; troublesome; irksome |
| 骨の折れる | ほねのおれる honenooreru | laborious; arduous; strenuous |
| 手のかかる | てのかかる tenokakaru | troublesome; difficult (e.g. customer, guest, child); laborious (e.g. task, dinner) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 骨折 | こっせつ kossetsu | bone fracture |
| 露骨 | ろこつ rokotsu | open; unconcealed; undisguised |
| 鉄骨 | てっこつ tekkotsu | steel frame; steel beam; steel girder |
| 骨格 | こっかく kokkaku | skeleton; skeletal structure; build |
| 背骨 | せぼね sebone | spine; backbone; spinal column |
| 遺骨 | いこつ ikotsu | cremated remains (esp. the bones); ashes |
See also: Chinese symbol for “laborious”.
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.