Japanese symbol for “powerless”
非力
ひりき
Romaji: hiriki
powerless; weak; lacking physical strength
In Japanese, powerless is 非力, read ひりき (hiriki).
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 powerless; weak; lacking physical strength
- adj-na, n incompetent; lacking ability; powerless
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “powerless”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| なす術もない | なすすべもない nasusubemonai | having no choice; at a loss for what to do; at one's wits' end |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 非常 | ひじょう hijou | emergency |
| 是非 | ぜひ zehi | certainly; without fail |
| 非難 | ひなん hinan | criticism; blame; censure |
| 非公式 | ひこうしき hikoushiki | informal; unofficial |
| 非公開 | ひこうかい hikoukai | private; non-public; secret |
| 非行 | ひこう hikou | delinquency; misconduct |
| 協力 | きょうりょく kyouryoku | cooperation; collaboration; help |
| 能力 | のうりょく nouryoku | ability; faculty |
See also: Chinese symbol for “powerless”.
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.