Japanese symbol for “pitiful”
気の毒
きのどく
Romaji: kinodoku
pitiful; unfortunate; poor; miserable
In Japanese, pitiful is 気の毒, read きのどく (kinodoku).
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-na, n pitiful; unfortunate; poor; miserable; wretched
- adj-na, n unpardonable; regrettable
Written forms: 気の毒、気のどく. Readings: きのどく.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “pitiful”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 可哀想 | かわいそう kawaisou | poor; pitiable; pathetic |
| 悲惨 | ひさん hisan | disastrous; tragic; miserable |
| 痛ましい | いたましい itamashii | pitiful; heartbreaking; heartrending |
| 痛々しい | いたいたしい itaitashii | pitiful; pathetic; painful (to look at) |
| 無残 | むざん muzan | pitiful; tragic; horrible |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 気持ち | きもち kimochi | feeling; sensation; mood |
| 人気 | にんき ninki | popularity; public favor |
| 気分 | きぶん kibun | feeling; mood |
| 元気 | げんき genki | lively; full of spirit; energetic |
| 電気 | でんき denki | electricity |
| 雰囲気 | ふんいき fun'iki | atmosphere; mood; ambience |
| 中毒 | ちゅうどく chuudoku | poisoning |
| 消毒 | しょうどく shoudoku | disinfection; sterilization; sterilisation |
See also: Chinese symbol for “pitiful”.
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.