Japanese symbol for “shortsighted”
小手先
こてさき
Romaji: kotesaki
tip of the hand; (use of) one's hands
In Japanese, shortsighted is 小手先, read こてさき (kotesaki).
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 tip of the hand; (use of) one's hands
- n cheap trick; superficial wit; superficial cleverness
- adj-no cheap; makeshift (e.g. measures); shortsighted; perfunctory; halfhearted
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “shortsighted”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 視野の狭い | しやのせまい shiyanosemai | shortsighted; narrow-minded |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 小説 | しょうせつ shousetsu | novel; story; (work of) fiction |
| 小学校 | しょうがっこう shougakkou | primary school; elementary school; grade school |
| 小学生 | しょうがくせい shougakusei | elementary school student; primary school student; grade school student |
| 小型 | こがた kogata | small-sized; small-scale; miniature |
| 小さい | ちいさい chiisai | small; little; tiny |
| 縮小 | しゅくしょう shukushou | reduction; curtailment; cut |
| 相手 | あいて aite | companion; partner; company |
| 選手 | せんしゅ senshu | player (of a sport); athlete; team member |
| 先生 | せんせい sensei | teacher; instructor; master |
See also: Chinese symbol for “shortsighted”.
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.