Japanese symbol for “thorny”
悩ましい
なやましい
Romaji: nayamashii
seductive; carnal; enchanting
In Japanese, thorny is 悩ましい, read なやましい (nayamashii).
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 seductive; carnal; enchanting
- adj-i troubling; difficult; thorny; hard
- adj-i anxious; uneasy
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “thorny”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 茨だらけ | いばらだらけ ibaradarake | thorny |
| イガイガ | イガイガ igaiga | irritating (e.g. one's throat); thorny; bristling |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 悩み | なやみ nayami | trouble; troubles; worry |
| 悩む | なやむ nayamu | to be worried; to be troubled |
| 苦悩 | くのう kunou | (mental) agony; anguish; suffering |
| 煩悩 | ぼんのう bonnou | worldly desires; evil passions; appetites of the flesh |
| 悩ます | なやます nayamasu | to afflict; to torment; to harass |
See also: Chinese symbol for “thorny”.
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.