Japanese symbol for “sombre”
渋い
しぶい
Romaji: shibui
astringent; bitter; puckery; rough
In Japanese, sombre is 渋い, read しぶい (shibui).
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 astringent; bitter; puckery; rough; harsh; tart
- adj-i austere; elegant (and unobtrusive); refined; quiet (and simple); sober; sombre
- adj-i sour (look); glum; grim; sullen; sulky
- adj-i stingy; tight-fisted
Written forms: 渋い、澁い. Readings: しぶい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “sombre”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 物憂げ | ものうげ monouge | somber; sombre; gloomy |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 渋滞 | じゅうたい juutai | (traffic) congestion; traffic jam; gridlock |
| 渋谷 | しぶや shibuya | Shibuya City (special ward of Tokyo); Shibuya |
| 苦渋 | くじゅう kujuu | bitterness; distress; pain |
| 渋る | しぶる shiburu | to be reluctant (to do); to be unwilling (to do); to hesitate (to do) |
| 渋柿 | しぶがき shibugaki | astringent persimmon |
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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