Japanese symbol for “shameful”
情けない
なさけない
Romaji: nasakenai
miserable; pitiable; shameful; deplorable
In Japanese, shameful is 情けない, read なさけない (nasakenai).
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 miserable; pitiable; shameful; deplorable; pathetic
Written forms: 情けない、情け無い、情無い、情ない. Readings: なさけない、なっさけない.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “shameful”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 見苦しい | みぐるしい migurushii | unsightly; ugly; unseemly |
| 恥ずかしい | はずかしい hazukashii | disgraceful; shameful |
| 醜い | みにくい minikui | unsightly; unseemly; disgraceful |
| 苦々しい | にがにがしい niganigashii | unpleasant; disgusting; loathsome |
| 不甲斐ない | ふがいない fugainai | good-for-nothing; spineless; gutless |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 情報 | じょうほう jouhou | information; news; report |
| 感情 | かんじょう kanjou | emotion; feeling; feelings |
| 事情 | じじょう jijou | circumstances; conditions; situation |
| 表情 | ひょうじょう hyoujou | facial expression; countenance |
| 愛情 | あいじょう aijou | love; affection |
| 情熱 | じょうねつ jounetsu | passion; enthusiasm; zeal |
See also: Chinese symbol for “shameful”.
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.