Japanese symbol for “scruffy”
ボロボロ
ボロボロ
Romaji: boroboro
worn-out; ragged; tattered; battered
In Japanese, scruffy is ボロボロ (boroboro).
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, adj-no worn-out; ragged; tattered; battered; scruffy
- adj-na, adv, adv-to crumbling; dry and crumbly
- adv, adv-to falling (in drops or clumps); scattering
- adj-na (physically or mentally) worn-out; exhausted
- adv, adv-to (coming to light) one after another
Written forms: —. Readings: ボロボロ、ぼろぼろ.
Other Japanese words for “scruffy”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 蛮カラ | ばんカラ bankara | scruffy; unconcerned about one's personal appearance |
| むさ苦しい | むさくるしい musakurushii | messy; shabby; scruffy |
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.