King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “questionable”

Romaji: ayashii
suspicious; dubious; questionable; dodgy

In Japanese, questionable is , read (ayashii).

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

  1. adj-i suspicious; dubious; questionable; dodgy; shady; fishy
  2. adj-i doubtful; unsure; uncertain; unlikely; implausible
  3. adj-i untrustworthy; unreliable; clumsy; awkward; shaky; poor
  4. adj-i strange; weird; eerie; spooky; uncanny
  5. adj-i ominous (e.g. weather); threatening; dangerous (e.g. financial situation); uncertain
  6. adj-i suspicious (of a potential amorous relation)

Kanji and stroke order

suspicious, mystery, apparition
on: カイ、ケ
kun: あや.しい、あや.しむ
8 strokes · JLPT 1

Other Japanese words for “questionable”

WordReadingMeaning
あやしげ ayashigequestionable; doubtful; suspicious
うたがわしい utagawashiidoubtful; questionable; uncertain
びみょう bimyoudoubtful; questionable; dicey
いかが ikagaquestionable
うさんくさい usankusaisuspicious-looking; shady; questionable

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
ようかい youkaighost; apparition; phantom
かいじゅう kaijuumonster
かいぶつ kaibutsumonster
かいき kaikibizarre; strange; weird
かいだん kaidanghost story; tale of the supernatural

See also: Chinese symbol for “questionable”.

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.

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