Japanese symbol for “shocked”
呆
ほう
Romaji: hou
(I'm) shocked
In Japanese, shocked is 呆, read ほう (hou).
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
- exp (I'm) shocked
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “shocked”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 愕然 | がくぜん gakuzen | astonished; shocked; amazed |
| 顔ない | かおない kaonai | embarrassed; shocked; unable to face (something) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 痴呆 | ちほう chihou | dementia |
| 阿呆 | あほ aho | fool; idiot; simpleton |
| 呆れる | あきれる akireru | to be amazed; to be shocked; to be astonished |
| 呆然 | ぼうぜん bouzen | dumbfounded; overcome with surprise; in blank amazement |
| 呆気 | あっけ akke | being taken aback; state of shock; dumbfoundedness |
| 呆んやり | ぼんやり bon'yari | dimly; faintly; indistinctly |
See also: Chinese symbol for “shocked”.
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.