Japanese symbol for “stiff”
強い
こわい
Romaji: kowai
tough; stiff; hard
In Japanese, stiff is 強い, read こわい (kowai).
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 tough; stiff; hard
- adj-i inflexible; obstinate; stubborn
- adj-i tired; worn out
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “stiff”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 硬い | かたい katai | stiff; tight; wooden |
| 堅苦しい | かたくるしい katakurushii | formal; stiff; strict |
| ギスギス | ギスギス gisugisu | stiff (atmosphere, manner, etc.); cold; unfriendly |
| 窮屈 | きゅうくつ kyuukutsu | formal; stiff; strict |
| ぎこちない | ぎこちない gikochinai | awkward; clumsy; stiff |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 勉強 | べんきょう benkyou | study |
| 強化 | きょうか kyouka | strengthening; intensifying; reinforcement |
| 強制 | きょうせい kyousei | compulsion; coercion; forcing (to do) |
| 強力 | きょうりょく kyouryoku | powerful; strong |
| 最強 | さいきょう saikyou | strongest |
See also: Chinese symbol for “stiff”.
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.