Japanese symbol for “unfortunate”
残念
ざんねん
Romaji: zannen
regrettable; unfortunate; disappointing; vexing
In Japanese, unfortunate is 残念, read ざんねん (zannen).
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 regrettable; unfortunate; disappointing; vexing
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “unfortunate”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 気の毒 | きのどく kinodoku | pitiful; unfortunate; poor |
| 惜しい | おしい oshii | regrettable; disappointing; unfortunate |
| 因果 | いんが inga | unfortunate; unlucky; ill-fated |
| 薄幸 | はっこう hakkou | unfortunate; unhappy; ill-fated |
| 不肖 | ふしょう fushou | unfortunate; unlucky |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 残り | のこり nokori | remainder; remnant; the rest |
| 残す | のこす nokosu | to leave (behind) |
| 残業 | ざんぎょう zangyou | overtime (work) |
| 残る | のこる nokoru | to remain; to be left |
| 残酷 | ざんこく zankoku | cruel; brutal; ruthless |
| 記念 | きねん kinen | commemoration; celebration; remembrance |
| 概念 | がいねん gainen | general idea; concept; notion |
| 懸念 | けねん kenen | worry; fear; anxiety |
See also: Chinese symbol for “unfortunate”.
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.