Japanese symbol for “plaintive”
哀切
あいせつ
Romaji: aisetsu
pathetic; plaintive
In Japanese, plaintive is 哀切, read あいせつ (aisetsu).
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 pathetic; plaintive
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “plaintive”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 物悲しい | ものがなしい monoganashii | sad; sorrowful; melancholy |
| 哀れっぽい | あわれっぽい awareppoi | plaintive; piteous; doleful |
| 哀調を帯びた | あいちょうをおびた aichouoobita | plaintive (melody, tone, etc.); sad; mournful |
| 蕭々 | しょうしょう shoushou | dreary; dismal; lonely |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 可哀想 | かわいそう kawaisou | poor; pitiable; pathetic |
| 哀れ | あわれ aware | pity; sorrow; grief |
| 哀愁 | あいしゅう aishuu | pathos; sorrow; grief |
| 喜怒哀楽 | きどあいらく kidoairaku | human emotions (joy, anger, grief and pleasure); feelings |
| 哀悼 | あいとう aitou | condolence; regret; tribute |
| 悲哀 | ひあい hiai | sorrow; grief; sadness |
| 大切 | たいせつ taisetsu | important; significant; serious |
| 一切 | いっさい issai | all; everything; entirety |
See also: Chinese symbol for “plaintive”.
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.