Japanese symbol for “perilous”
危ない
あぶない
Romaji: abunai
dangerous; risky; hazardous; perilous
In Japanese, perilous is 危ない, read あぶない (abunai).
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-i dangerous; risky; hazardous; perilous; precarious
- adj-i in danger; in jeopardy; critical; grave; at risk
- adj-i uncertain; unreliable; insecure; unsteady; doubtful
- adj-i close (call); narrow (escape)
- adj-i sketchy; shady; dodgy
- int look out!; watch out!; be careful!
Written forms: 危ない、危い. Readings: あぶない、アブない、アブナい、あぶねー.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “perilous”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 険悪 | けんあく ken'aku | dangerous; perilous; threatening |
| 際どい | きわどい kiwadoi | risky; dangerous; hazardous |
| 危うい | あやうい ayaui | precarious (situation); perilous (state, balance, etc.); in doubt |
| 冒険的 | ぼうけんてき boukenteki | adventurous; risky; hazardous |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 危険 | きけん kiken | danger; peril; hazard |
| 危機 | きき kiki | crisis; critical situation; emergency |
| 危惧 | きぐ kigu | apprehension; misgivings; uneasiness |
| 危うく | あやうく ayauku | barely; narrowly |
| 危うい | あやうい ayaui | dangerous; in danger; facing imminent danger |
See also: Chinese symbol for “perilous”.
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.