King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “obsession”

Romaji: shuunen
tenacity; persistence; obsession; implacability

In Japanese, obsession is , read (shuunen).

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

  1. n tenacity; persistence; obsession; implacability

Kanji and stroke order

tenacious, take hold, grasp
on: シツ、シュウ
kun: と.る
11 strokes · JLPT 1
wish, sense, idea
on: ネン
8 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “obsession”

WordReadingMeaning
しゅうちゃく shuuchakuattachment; adhesion; insistence
ぬま numaobsession; addiction; being hooked on
こだわり kodawariobsession; fixation; hangup
ノイローゼ noiroozeneurosis; nervous breakdown; mental problem
しゅうしん shuushindevotion; attachment; obsession

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
しっこう shikkouexecution; carrying out; performance
しっぴつ shippitsuwriting; authoring
しゅうちゃく shuuchakuattachment; adhesion; insistence
かくしつ kakushitsudiscord; antagonism
しつむ shitsumuperformance of one's official duties
きねん kinencommemoration; celebration; remembrance
ざんねん zannenregrettable; unfortunate; disappointing
がいねん gainengeneral idea; concept; notion

See also: Chinese symbol for “obsession”.

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.

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