Japanese symbol for “nervous”
神経質
しんけいしつ
Romaji: shinkeishitsu
nervous; highly strung; sensitive
In Japanese, nervous is 神経質, read しんけいしつ (shinkeishitsu).
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 nervous; highly strung; sensitive
- adj-na, n fussy; worried about petty things
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “nervous”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ナーバス | ナーバス naabasu | nervous |
| 神経性 | しんけいせい shinkeisei | nervous; neural; neurogenic |
| どぎまぎ | どぎまぎ dogimagi | flurried; flustered; upset |
| 心もとない | こころもとない kokoromotonai | nervous; impatient; irritated from anxiety |
| カチカチ | カチカチ kachikachi | scared stiff; tense; nervous |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 精神 | せいしん seishin | mind; spirit; soul |
| 神経 | しんけい shinkei | nerve |
| 神社 | じんじゃ jinja | Shinto shrine |
| 神様 | かみさま kamisama | God; god; deity |
| 神話 | しんわ shinwa | myth; mythology |
| 阪神 | はんしん hanshin | Osaka-Kobe |
| 経済 | けいざい keizai | economy; economics |
| 経験 | けいけん keiken | experience |
| 質問 | しつもん shitsumon | question; inquiry; enquiry |
See also: Chinese symbol for “nervous”.
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.