Japanese symbol for “nightmare”
悪夢
あくむ
Romaji: akumu
nightmare; bad dream
In Japanese, nightmare is 悪夢, read あくむ (akumu).
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 nightmare; bad dream
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “nightmare”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 地獄 | じごく jigoku | hell; misery; nightmare |
| 夢魔 | むま muma | nightmare |
| ナイトメア | ナイトメア naitomea | nightmare |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 最悪 | さいあく saiaku | worst |
| 悪口 | わるぐち waruguchi | (verbal) abuse; speaking ill of people; bad-mouthing |
| 悪化 | あっか akka | deterioration; getting worse; worsening |
| 悪魔 | あくま akuma | devil; demon; fiend |
| 悪い | わるい warui | bad; poor; undesirable |
| 悪質 | あくしつ akushitsu | malicious; vicious; malignant |
| 夢中 | むちゅう muchuu | absorbed in; immersed in; crazy about |
| 夢にも | ゆめにも yumenimo | (not) in the slightest; (not) at all |
See also: Chinese symbol for “nightmare”.
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.