Japanese symbol for “shy”
恥ずかしい
はずかしい
Romaji: hazukashii
embarrassing; embarrassed; ashamed; humiliated
In Japanese, shy is 恥ずかしい, read はずかしい (hazukashii).
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 embarrassing; embarrassed; ashamed; humiliated; shy
- adj-i disgraceful; shameful
Written forms: 恥ずかしい、恥かしい、恥しい、羞ずかしい. Readings: はずかしい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “shy”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 内気 | うちき uchiki | shy; bashful; timid |
| シャイ | シャイ shai | shy |
| 引っ込み思案 | ひっこみじあん hikkomijian | reserved; introverted; reticent |
| 遠慮がち | えんりょがち enryogachi | shy; diffident; retiring |
| 照れ性 | てれしょう tereshou | bashful; shy |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 恥じる | はじる hajiru | to feel ashamed |
| 恥辱 | ちじょく chijoku | disgrace; shame; insult |
| 恥じらう | はじらう hajirau | to feel shy; to be bashful; to blush |
| 羞恥 | しゅうち shuuchi | shyness; bashfulness; shame |
| 恥知らず | はじしらず hajishirazu | shameless; shameless person |
| 恥じらい | はじらい hajirai | shyness; bashfulness |
See also: Chinese symbol for “shy”.
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.