Japanese symbol for “loathsome”
苦々しい
にがにがしい
Romaji: niganigashii
unpleasant; disgusting; loathsome; shameful
In Japanese, loathsome is 苦々しい, read にがにがしい (niganigashii).
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-i unpleasant; disgusting; loathsome; shameful; scandalous
Written forms: 苦々しい、苦苦しい. Readings: にがにがしい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “loathsome”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 憎々しい | にくにくしい nikunikushii | hateful; detestable; loathsome |
| 厭わしい | いとわしい itowashii | detestable; disagreeable; disgusting |
| 毒々しい | どくどくしい dokudokushii | hateful; detestable; loathsome |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 苦手 | にがて nigate | poor (at); weak (in); not very good (at) |
| 苦労 | くろう kurou | trouble; hardship; difficulty |
| 苦しみ | くるしみ kurushimi | pain; anguish; distress |
| 苦痛 | くつう kutsuu | pain; agony; suffering |
| 苦情 | くじょう kujou | complaint; troubles; objection |
| 苦しい | くるしい kurushii | painful; difficult; tough |
See also: Chinese symbol for “loathsome”.
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.