King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “unhappiness”

Romaji: fukou
unhappiness; sorrow; misfortune; disaster

In Japanese, unhappiness is , read (fukou).

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

  1. adj-na, n unhappiness; sorrow; misfortune; disaster; accident
  2. n death (usu. of a relative); bereavement

Kanji and stroke order

negative, non-, bad
on: フ、ブ
4 strokes · JLPT 3
happiness, blessing, fortune
on: コウ
kun: さいわ.い、さち、しあわ.せ
8 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “unhappiness”

WordReadingMeaning
ふまん fumandissatisfaction; discontent; displeasure
ふしあわせ fushiawaseunhappiness; misfortune; ill luck
ふよ fuyoindisposition; emperor's illness; unhappiness

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
ふめい fumeiunclear; obscure; indistinct
ふあん fuananxiety; uneasiness; worry
ふそく fusokuinsufficiency; deficiency; shortage
ふまん fumandissatisfaction; discontent; displeasure
ふかのう fukanouimpossible
ふしぎ fushigiwonderful; marvelous; strange
しあわせ shiawasehappiness; good fortune; luck
こうふく koufukuhappiness; well-being; joy

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.

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