Japanese symbol for “pointless”
仕様もない
しょうもない
Romaji: shoumonai
stupid; meaningless; worthless; pointless
In Japanese, pointless is 仕様もない, read しょうもない (shoumonai).
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, exp stupid; meaningless; worthless; pointless; boring
- adj-i, exp hopeless (person, situation); beyond help; beyond saving
Written forms: 仕様もない、しようも無い、しょうも無い、仕様も無い. Readings: しょうもない、しようもない、しょーもない.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “pointless”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 実のない | みのない minonai | insubstantial; pointless |
| 甲斐無い | かいない kainai | worthless; pointless; useless |
| 意味ない | いみない iminai | meaningless; pointless |
| 仕方がない | しかたがない shikataganai | it's no use (doing); pointless; useless |
| 仕方のない | しかたのない shikatanonai | pointless; useless; no good |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 仕事 | しごと shigoto | work; job; labor |
| 仕方 | しかた shikata | way; method; means |
| 仕組み | しくみ shikumi | structure; construction; arrangement |
| 仕上げ | しあげ shiage | finish; finishing; finishing touches |
| 奉仕 | ほうし houshi | service; ministry; attendance |
| 仕様 | しよう shiyou | way; method; means |
| 同様 | どうよう douyou | same; similar; (just) like |
| 様子 | ようす yousu | state (of affairs); situation; circumstances |
See also: Chinese symbol for “pointless”.
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.