Japanese symbol for “scoffing”

冷罵

れいば

Romaji: reiba

sneer; scoffing; abuse

In Japanese, scoffing is 冷罵, read れいば (reiba).

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

n, vs, vt sneer; scoffing; abuse

Kanji and stroke order

冷

cool, cold (beer, person), chill

on: レイ
kun: つめ.たい、ひ.える、ひ.や、ひ.ややか

7 strokes · JLPT 2

罵

abuse, insult

on: バ
kun: ののし.る

15 strokes

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
冷静	れいせい reisei	calmness; composure; coolness
冷蔵庫	れいぞうこ reizouko	refrigerator; fridge
冷凍	れいとう reitou	freezing; cold storage; refrigeration
冷戦	れいせん reisen	cold war; the Cold War
冷房	れいぼう reibou	air conditioning; air cooling
冷たい	つめたい tsumetai	cold (to the touch); chilly; icy
罵る	ののしる nonoshiru	to abuse (verbally); to curse at; to shout abuse at
罵倒	ばとう batou	(verbal) abuse; denunciation; disparagement

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.