Japanese symbol for “unemployed”
無職
むしょく
Romaji: mushoku
without an occupation; unemployed; jobless
In Japanese, unemployed is 無職, read むしょく (mushoku).
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-no, n without an occupation; unemployed; jobless
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “unemployed”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 遊民 | ゆうみん yuumin | idler; the unemployed |
| 浪々 | ろうろう rourou | wandering; jobless; unemployed |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 無料 | むりょう muryou | free (of charge); gratuitous |
| 無理 | むり muri | unreasonable; unnatural; unjustifiable |
| 無事 | ぶじ buji | safety; security; peace |
| 無駄 | むだ muda | futility; waste; uselessness |
| 無線 | むせん musen | radio (communication) |
| 無理やり | むりやり muriyari | forcibly; by force; against one's will |
| 職場 | しょくば shokuba | one's post; place of work; workplace |
| 職員 | しょくいん shokuin | staff member; employee; worker |
See also: Chinese symbol for “unemployed”.
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.