Japanese symbol for “tough”
強い
つよい
Romaji: tsuyoi
strong; potent; competent; domineering
In Japanese, tough is 強い, read つよい (tsuyoi).
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 strong; potent; competent; domineering; tough
- adj-i strong; brawny; powerful; healthy; rugged
- adj-i good (at); skilled; knowledgeable
- adj-i being able to handle; know how to deal (with); durable (against); resistant (to); resilient
- adj-i firm; rigid; solid
- adj-i intense; strong; fierce; high
Written forms: 強い、勁い、剛い、毅い. Readings: つよい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “tough”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 苦しい | くるしい kurushii | painful; difficult; tough |
| 厳格 | げんかく genkaku | strict; severe; stern |
| 硬い | かたい katai | hard; solid; tough |
| 強靭 | きょうじん kyoujin | tough; strong; tenacious |
| きつい | きつい kitsui | tough; hard; severe |
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 “tough”.
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.