Japanese symbol for “stubborn”
頑固
がんこ
Romaji: ganko
stubborn; obstinate; pigheaded
In Japanese, stubborn is 頑固, read がんこ (ganko).
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 stubborn; obstinate; pigheaded
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “stubborn”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 頑強 | がんきょう gankyou | stubborn; dogged; persistent |
| 強硬 | きょうこう kyoukou | firm; strong; unbending |
| 執拗 | しつよう shitsuyou | persistent; obstinate; tenacious |
| 粘り強い | ねばりづよい nebarizuyoi | tenacious; persevering; persistent |
| 強情 | ごうじょう goujou | obstinate; stubborn; headstrong |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 頑張る | がんばる ganbaru | to persevere; to persist; to keep at it |
| 頑張り | がんばり ganbari | tenacity; endurance |
| 頑丈 | がんじょう ganjou | solid; firm; stout |
| 頑強 | がんきょう gankyou | stubborn; dogged; persistent |
| 頑張れ | がんばれ ganbare | hang in there; go for it; keep at it |
| 固定 | こてい kotei | fixing (in place); being fixed (in place); securing |
| 固有 | こゆう koyuu | characteristic (of); peculiar (to); inherent (in) |
| 固める | かためる katameru | to harden; to freeze; to strengthen |
See also: Chinese symbol for “stubborn”.
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.