Japanese symbol for “setback”
敗北
はいぼく
Romaji: haiboku
defeat; loss; reverse; setback
In Japanese, setback is 敗北, read はいぼく (haiboku).
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, vi, vs defeat; loss; reverse; setback
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “setback”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 挫折 | ざせつ zasetsu | setback; failure (e.g. plans, business); frustration |
| 頓挫 | とんざ tonza | setback; deadlock; standstill |
| 蹉だ | さだ sada | setback; impediment |
| 蹉跌 | さてつ satetsu | failure; stumbling; setback |
| セットバック | セットバック settobakku | setback (land use) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 失敗 | しっぱい shippai | failure; mistake; blunder |
| 腐敗 | ふはい fuhai | decomposition; putrefaction; putrescence |
| 敗戦 | はいせん haisen | defeat; lost battle; losing a war |
| 勝敗 | しょうはい shouhai | victory or defeat; outcome (of a game, battle, etc.) |
| 惨敗 | ざんぱい zanpai | ignominious defeat; crushing failure; utterly beaten |
| 北部 | ほくぶ hokubu | northern part; the north (of a region) |
| 北海道 | ほっかいどう hokkaidou | Hokkaido (island, prefectural-level administrative unit) |
| 南北 | なんぼく nanboku | north and south; north to south |
See also: Chinese symbol for “setback”.
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.