King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “sluggish”

Romaji: kanman
slow; sluggish; dull; slack

In Japanese, sluggish is , read (kanman).

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

  1. adj-na, n slow; sluggish; dull; slack; inactive
  2. adj-na, n lax (regulation, handling, etc.); slack; sloppy

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

slacken, loosen, relax
on: カン
kun: ゆる.い、ゆる.やか、ゆる.む、ゆる.める
15 strokes · JLPT 1
ridicule, laziness
on: マン
14 strokes · JLPT 1

Other Japanese words for “sluggish”

WordReadingMeaning
ていちょう teichouinactive; slow; sluggish
おもい omoislow; sluggish; lumbering
にぶい nibuislow; sluggish; inert
だるい daruisluggish; languid; listless
もっさり mossarislow; sluggish; dim-witted

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
かんわ kanwarelief; mitigation; alleviation
ゆるやか yuruyakaloose; slack
ゆるい yuruiloose
ゆるむ yurumuto become loose; to slacken (e.g. rope)
かんきゅう kankyuuhigh and low speed; fast and slow; pace
がまん gamanendurance; patience; perseverance
じまん jimanpride (in one's achievements, possessions, etc.); self-praise; boast
まんせい manseichronic (illness)

See also: Chinese symbol for “sluggish”.

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.

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