Japanese symbol for “scruples”

疑念

ぎねん

Romaji: ginen

doubt; suspicion; misgivings; scruples

In Japanese, scruples is 疑念, read ぎねん (ginen).

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 doubt; suspicion; misgivings; scruples

Kanji and stroke order

疑

doubt, distrust, be suspicious

on: ギ
kun: うたが.う

14 strokes · JLPT 2

念

wish, sense, idea

on: ネン

8 strokes · JLPT 2

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
疑問	ぎもん gimon	doubt; question; suspicion
疑い	うたがい utagai	doubt; question; uncertainty
容疑	ようぎ yougi	suspicion; charge
疑う	うたがう utagau	to doubt; to distrust; to be suspicious of
疑惑	ぎわく giwaku	doubt; misgivings; distrust
懐疑	かいぎ kaigi	doubt; skepticism; scepticism
記念	きねん kinen	commemoration; celebration; remembrance
残念	ざんねん zannen	regrettable; unfortunate; disappointing

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.