Japanese symbol for “poor”
苦手
にがて
Romaji: nigate
poor (at); weak (in); not very good (at)
In Japanese, poor is 苦手, read にがて (nigate).
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 poor (at); weak (in); not very good (at)
- adj-na, n not one's cup of tea; not one's favorite
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “poor”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 可哀想 | かわいそう kawaisou | poor; pitiable; pathetic |
| 貧しい | まずしい mazushii | poor; needy |
| 不良 | ふりょう furyou | bad; poor; inferior |
| 下手 | へた heta | unskillful; poor; awkward |
| 貧弱 | ひんじゃく hinjaku | poor; meagre; meager |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 苦労 | くろう kurou | trouble; hardship; difficulty |
| 苦しみ | くるしみ kurushimi | pain; anguish; distress |
| 苦痛 | くつう kutsuu | pain; agony; suffering |
| 苦情 | くじょう kujou | complaint; troubles; objection |
| 苦しい | くるしい kurushii | painful; difficult; tough |
| 相手 | あいて aite | companion; partner; company |
| 選手 | せんしゅ senshu | player (of a sport); athlete; team member |
| 手段 | しゅだん shudan | means; way; method |
See also: Chinese symbol for “poor”.
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.