Japanese symbol for “spineless”
卑屈
ひくつ
Romaji: hikutsu
servile; subservient; obsequious; slavish
In Japanese, spineless is 卑屈, read ひくつ (hikutsu).
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-na, n servile; subservient; obsequious; slavish; self-abasing; grovelling
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “spineless”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 玉無し | たまなし tamanashi | spineless; cowardly; lacking balls |
| 軟弱 | なんじゃく nanjaku | weak-willed; spineless; easily swayed |
| 不甲斐ない | ふがいない fugainai | good-for-nothing; spineless; gutless |
| 意気地のない | いくじのない ikujinonai | spineless; backboneless; timid |
| 怯懦 | きょうだ kyouda | cowardly; spineless; weak-willed |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 卑劣 | ひれつ hiretsu | mean; contemptible; despicable |
| 卑怯 | ひきょう hikyou | cowardly; craven |
| 男尊女卑 | だんそんじょひ dansonjohi | male domination of women; male chauvinism; subjection of women |
| 卑下 | ひげ hige | self-abasement; self-depreciation; humility |
| 卑しい | いやしい iyashii | lowborn; humble; lowly |
| 理屈 | りくつ rikutsu | theory; reason; logic |
| 窮屈 | きゅうくつ kyuukutsu | narrow; tight; cramped |
| 退屈 | たいくつ taikutsu | tedious; boring; dull |
See also: Chinese symbol for “spineless”.
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.