Japanese symbol for “unfortunately”
生憎
あいにく
Romaji: ainiku
unfortunately; sorry, but ...
In Japanese, unfortunately is 生憎, read あいにく (ainiku).
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, adj-no, adv unfortunately; sorry, but ...
Written forms: 生憎、合憎. Readings: あいにく.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “unfortunately”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 如何せん | いかんせん ikansen | to one's regret; regrettably; unfortunately |
| 残念ながら | ざんねんながら zannennagara | unfortunately; regrettably |
| 折り悪く | おりわるく oriwaruku | unfortunately |
| 折悪しく | おりあしく oriashiku | unfortunately; at a bad time; at an unfortunate moment |
| 残念なことに | ざんねんなことに zannennakotoni | unfortunately |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 生活 | せいかつ seikatsu | life; living |
| 先生 | せんせい sensei | teacher; instructor; master |
| 人生 | じんせい jinsei | (one's) life |
| 学生 | がくせい gakusei | student (esp. a university student) |
| 発生 | はっせい hassei | occurrence; incidence; outbreak |
| 誕生 | たんじょう tanjou | birth (of a person); nativity |
| 憎悪 | ぞうお zouo | hatred; abhorrence; loathing |
| 憎しみ | にくしみ nikushimi | hatred |
See also: Chinese symbol for “unfortunately”.
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.