Japanese symbol for “sceptical”

懐疑的

かいぎてき

Romaji: kaigiteki

skeptical; sceptical; incredulous

In Japanese, sceptical is 懐疑的, read かいぎてき (kaigiteki).

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 skeptical; sceptical; incredulous

Kanji and stroke order

懐

feelings, heart, yearn

on: カイ、エ
kun: ふところ、なつ.かしい、なつ.かしむ、なつ.く

16 strokes · JLPT 1

疑

doubt, distrust, be suspicious

on: ギ
kun: うたが.う

14 strokes · JLPT 2

的

bull's eye, mark, target

on: テキ
kun: まと

8 strokes · JLPT 2

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
懐かしい	なつかしい natsukashii	dear (old); fondly remembered; beloved
懐疑	かいぎ kaigi	doubt; skepticism; scepticism
懐柔	かいじゅう kaijuu	winning over; placation; gentle persuasion
懐かしむ	なつかしむ natsukashimu	to yearn (for); to miss; to feel nostalgic (for)
懐古	かいこ kaiko	reminiscence; nostalgia; thinking fondly of the past
述懐	じゅっかい jukkai	speaking about (one's thoughts, memories, etc.); relating (one's feelings, reminiscences, etc.); recollection
疑問	ぎもん gimon	doubt; question; suspicion
疑い	うたがい utagai	doubt; question; uncertainty
目的	もくてき mokuteki	purpose; goal; aim

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.