Japanese symbol for “speechless”
唖然
あぜん
Romaji: azen
dumbfounded; speechless; flabbergasted; struck dumb with astonishment
In Japanese, speechless is 唖然, read あぜん (azen).
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-t, adv-to dumbfounded; speechless; flabbergasted; struck dumb with astonishment
Written forms: 唖然、あ然、ア然、啞然. Readings: あぜん.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “speechless”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| オタオタ | オタオタ otaota | flustered; flurried; (shocked) speechless |
| ものが言えない | ものがいえない monogaienai | speechless (with amazement); struck dumb; tongue-tied |
| 口がきけない | くちがきけない kuchigakikenai | unable to speak; inarticulate; mute |
| 開いた口がふさがらない | あいたくちがふさがらない aitakuchigafusagaranai | dumbfounded; speechless; flabbergasted |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 聾唖 | ろうあ roua | deafness |
| 盲唖 | もうあ moua | blind and dumb |
| 盲唖学校 | もうあがっこう mouagakkou | school for the blind and dumb |
| 聾唖学校 | ろうあがっこう rouagakkou | school for people unable to hear and speak |
| 唖蝉 | おしぜみ oshizemi | voiceless cicada (female); Asian cicada |
| 自然 | しぜん shizen | nature |
| 当然 | とうぜん touzen | natural; right; proper |
| 全然 | ぜんぜん zenzen | (not) at all; (not) in the slightest |
See also: Chinese symbol for “speechless”.
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.