Japanese symbol for “nobody”
雑魚
ざこ
Romaji: zako
small fish; small fry
In Japanese, nobody is 雑魚, read ざこ (zako).
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 small fish; small fry
- n (a) nobody; small fry; unimportant person
- n noob; weak player
- n small penis; short dick
Written forms: 雑魚、雑喉. Readings: ざこ、じゃこ、ざっこ、ザコ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “nobody”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 無名氏 | むめいし mumeishi | anonymous person; a nobody |
| 芸無し | げいなし geinashi | unaccomplished person; uninteresting person; nobody |
| ただの人 | ただのひと tadanohito | ordinary person; average person; man in the street |
| 誰一人 | だれひとり darehitori | (not) anyone; (not) a single person; no one |
| 一人も | ひとりも hitorimo | not a single person; no one; nobody |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 雑誌 | ざっし zasshi | magazine; journal; periodical |
| 複雑 | ふくざつ fukuzatsu | complex; complicated; intricate |
| 混雑 | こんざつ konzatsu | congestion; crush; crowding |
| 雑談 | ざつだん zatsudan | chatting; idle talk |
| 大雑把 | おおざっぱ oozappa | rough (estimate, summary, etc.); broad; general |
| 雑草 | ざっそう zassou | weed |
| 金魚 | きんぎょ kingyo | goldfish (Carassius auratus) |
| 魚雷 | ぎょらい gyorai | torpedo |
See also: Chinese symbol for “nobody”.
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.