Japanese symbol for “merciless”
残酷
ざんこく
Romaji: zankoku
cruel; brutal; ruthless; merciless
In Japanese, merciless is 残酷, read ざんこく (zankoku).
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-na, n cruel; brutal; ruthless; merciless; inhuman
Written forms: 残酷、惨酷、残刻、惨刻. Readings: ざんこく.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “merciless”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 無残 | むざん muzan | cruel; merciless; atrocious |
| 残忍 | ざんにん zannin | brutal; cruel; merciless |
| 無慈悲 | むじひ mujihi | merciless; ruthless; pitiless |
| 惨い | むごい mugoi | cruel; merciless; pitiless |
| 仮借なき | かしゃくなき kashakunaki | merciless; unforgiving; ruthless |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 残念 | ざんねん zannen | regrettable; unfortunate; disappointing |
| 残り | のこり nokori | remainder; remnant; the rest |
| 残す | のこす nokosu | to leave (behind) |
| 残業 | ざんぎょう zangyou | overtime (work) |
| 残る | のこる nokoru | to remain; to be left |
| 過酷 | かこく kakoku | severe; harsh; hard |
| 冷酷 | れいこく reikoku | cruelty; coldheartedness; relentless |
| 酷い | ひどい hidoi | cruel; heartless; hard |
See also: Chinese symbol for “merciless”.
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.