Japanese symbol for “regretful”
残り多い
のこりおおい
Romaji: nokoriooi
regretful; full of lingering regret
In Japanese, regretful is 残り多い, read のこりおおい (nokoriooi).
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 regretful; full of lingering regret
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “regretful”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 未練がましい | みれんがましい mirengamashii | not knowing when to let go (give up, etc.); unwilling to resign; having lingering attachment |
| 未練たらたら | みれんたらたら mirentaratara | unable to let go (e.g. of one's feelings); stuck in the past; regretful |
| 未練たらしい | みれんたらしい mirentarashii | not knowing when to let go (give up, etc.); unwilling to resign; having lingering attachment |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 残念 | ざんねん zannen | regrettable; unfortunate; disappointing |
| 残り | のこり nokori | remainder; remnant; the rest |
| 残す | のこす nokosu | to leave (behind) |
| 残業 | ざんぎょう zangyou | overtime (work) |
| 残る | のこる nokoru | to remain; to be left |
| 残酷 | ざんこく zankoku | cruel; brutal; ruthless |
| 多数 | たすう tasuu | large number (of); many |
| 多分 | たぶん tabun | probably; likely; perhaps |
See also: Chinese symbol for “regretful”.
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.