Japanese symbol for “struggling”
格闘
かくとう
Romaji: kakutou
(hand-to-hand) fight; grapple; scuffle; tussle
In Japanese, struggling is 格闘, read かくとう (kakutou).
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
- n, vi, vs (hand-to-hand) fight; grapple; scuffle; tussle
- n, vi, vs struggling (with a problem, task, etc.); grappling; wrestling; getting to grips (with)
Written forms: 格闘、挌闘、格鬪. Readings: かくとう.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “struggling”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 苦しい | くるしい kurushii | straitened (circumstances); tight (financial situation); needy |
| ジタバタ | ジタバタ jitabata | (kicking and) struggling; wriggling; floundering |
| 足掻き | あがき agaki | struggling; pawing (e.g. horses' hooves) |
| フーフー | フーフー fuufuu | struggling (with work, studies, etc.); having difficulty |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 価格 | かかく kakaku | price; value; cost |
| 性格 | せいかく seikaku | character (of a person); personality; disposition |
| 資格 | しかく shikaku | qualifications; requirements; capabilities |
| 合格 | ごうかく goukaku | passing (an exam); pass; success |
| 格好 | かっこう kakkou | shape; form; figure |
| 格差 | かくさ kakusa | qualitative difference; disparity; gap |
| 戦闘 | せんとう sentou | battle; fight; combat |
| 闘争 | とうそう tousou | fight; battle; combat |
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.