King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “obtuse”

Romaji: noroi
thickheaded; obtuse; stupid

In Japanese, obtuse is , read (noroi).

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. adj-i thickheaded; obtuse; stupid
  2. adj-i slow; sluggish; inert; lethargic
  3. adj-i indulgent (esp. to the opposite sex); doting

Kanji and stroke order

dull, slow, foolish
on: ドン
kun: にぶ.い、にぶ.る、にぶ-、なま.る
12 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “obtuse”

WordReadingMeaning
ぐどん gudonstupid; dim-witted; dense
どんとう dontouobtuse (of the shape of a leaf); rounded

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
どんかん donkanthickheaded; insensitive; dull
どんき donkiblunt weapon
どんか donkabecoming dull; slowing down
にぶる niburuto become blunt; to grow dull

See also: Chinese symbol for “obtuse”.

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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