Japanese symbol for “shady”
怪しい
あやしい
Romaji: ayashii
suspicious; dubious; questionable; dodgy
In Japanese, shady is 怪しい, read あやしい (ayashii).
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 suspicious; dubious; questionable; dodgy; shady; fishy
- adj-i doubtful; unsure; uncertain; unlikely; implausible
- adj-i untrustworthy; unreliable; clumsy; awkward; shaky; poor
- adj-i strange; weird; eerie; spooky; uncanny
- adj-i ominous (e.g. weather); threatening; dangerous (e.g. financial situation); uncertain
- adj-i suspicious (of a potential amorous relation)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “shady”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 曖昧 | あいまい aimai | shady; disreputable |
| 危ない | あぶない abunai | sketchy; shady; dodgy |
| 胡散臭い | うさんくさい usankusai | suspicious-looking; shady; questionable |
| 際どい | きわどい kiwadoi | suggestive; bordering on the obscene; risqué |
| 後ろ暗い | うしろぐらい ushirogurai | shady; underhanded; questionable |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 妖怪 | ようかい youkai | ghost; apparition; phantom |
| 怪獣 | かいじゅう kaijuu | monster |
| 怪物 | かいぶつ kaibutsu | monster |
| 怪奇 | かいき kaiki | bizarre; strange; weird |
| 怪談 | かいだん kaidan | ghost story; tale of the supernatural |
See also: Chinese symbol for “shady”.
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.