Japanese symbol for “severe”
厳しい
きびしい
Romaji: kibishii
severe; strict; rigid; unsparing
In Japanese, severe is 厳しい, read きびしい (kibishii).
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-i severe; strict; rigid; unsparing; relentless
- adj-i hard (to do); difficult; tricky
- adj-i intense (e.g. cold); harsh (weather); inclement
Written forms: 厳しい、酷しい. Readings: きびしい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “severe”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 深刻 | しんこく shinkoku | serious; severe; grave |
| 過酷 | かこく kakoku | severe; harsh; hard |
| 痛烈 | つうれつ tsuuretsu | severe; bitter; scathing |
| 強烈 | きょうれつ kyouretsu | strong; intense; severe |
| 重度 | じゅうど juudo | severe (illness, disability, etc.); serious |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 厳格 | げんかく genkaku | strict; severe; stern |
| 厳重 | げんじゅう genjuu | strict; severe; stringent |
| 尊厳 | そんげん songen | dignity; majesty; sanctity |
| 厳禁 | げんきん genkin | strict prohibition; ban; interdiction |
| 威厳 | いげん igen | dignity; majesty; solemnity |
See also: Chinese symbol for “severe”.
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.