Japanese symbol for “squalid”
汚らしい
きたならしい
Romaji: kitanarashii
dirty-looking; filthy; disgusting; squalid
In Japanese, squalid is 汚らしい, read きたならしい (kitanarashii).
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 dirty-looking; filthy; disgusting; squalid
Written forms: 汚らしい、穢らしい. Readings: きたならしい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “squalid”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ごみごみ | ごみごみ gomigomi | squalid; messy |
| むさい | むさい musai | filthy; squalid; dirty |
| むさ苦しい | むさくるしい musakurushii | messy; shabby; scruffy |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 汚染 | おせん osen | pollution; contamination |
| 汚れ | よごれ yogore | dirt; filth; stain |
| 汚職 | おしょく oshoku | corruption (esp. by a government employee); bribery; graft |
| 汚い | きたない kitanai | dirty; filthy; foul |
| 汚れる | よごれる yogoreru | to get dirty; to become dirty |
| 汚物 | おぶつ obutsu | filth (esp. excrement, feces, urine); muck; waste |
See also: Chinese symbol for “squalid”.
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.