Japanese symbol for “rugged”
険しい
けわしい
Romaji: kewashii
precipitous; rugged; inaccessible; impregnable
In Japanese, rugged is 険しい, read けわしい (kewashii).
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 precipitous; rugged; inaccessible; impregnable; steep
- adj-i grim; severe; stern
Written forms: 険しい、嶮しい、峻しい. Readings: けわしい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “rugged”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 強い | つよい tsuyoi | strong; brawny; powerful |
| ゴツゴツ | ゴツゴツ gotsugotsu | rugged; scraggy; angular |
| 厳つい | いかつい ikatsui | stern; grim; rough |
| ラギッド | ラギッド ragiddo | rugged |
| ごつい | ごつい gotsui | large and rough; big and tough; rugged (hands, features, etc.) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 危険 | きけん kiken | danger; peril; hazard |
| 保険 | ほけん hoken | insurance |
| 冒険 | ぼうけん bouken | adventure; venture |
| 険悪 | けんあく ken'aku | dangerous; perilous; threatening |
| 邪険 | じゃけん jaken | cruel; hard-hearted; harsh |
See also: Chinese symbol for “rugged”.
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.