Japanese symbol for “loner”

一匹狼

いっぴきおおかみ

Romaji: ippikiookami

lone wolf; loner; self-reliant person

In Japanese, loner is 一匹狼, read いっぴきおおかみ (ippikiookami).

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 lone wolf; loner; self-reliant person

Written forms: 一匹狼、一匹オオカミ. Readings: いっぴきおおかみ、いっぴきオオカミ.

Kanji and stroke order

一

one, one radical (no.1)

on: イチ、イツ
kun: ひと-、ひと.つ

1 strokes · JLPT 4

匹

equal, head, counter for small animals

on: ヒツ
kun: ひき

4 strokes · JLPT 2

狼

wolf

on: ロウ
kun: おおかみ

10 strokes

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
一緒	いっしょ issho	(doing) together
一番	いちばん ichiban	number one; first; first place
一つ	ひとつ hitotsu	one
一般	いっぱん ippan	general; universal
一部	いちぶ ichibu	one part; one portion; one section
一方	いっぽう ippou	one (esp. of two); the other; one way
匹敵	ひってき hitteki	to be a match for; to rival; to equal
男一匹	おとこいっぴき otokoippiki	shining example of a man
狼狽	ろうばい roubai	confusion; dismay; consternation

See also: Chinese symbol for “loner”.

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.