Japanese symbol for “unlucky”
細い
ほそい
Romaji: hosoi
thin; slender; fine
In Japanese, unlucky is 細い, read ほそい (hosoi).
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 thin; slender; fine
- adj-i unlucky
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “unlucky”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 不吉 | ふきつ fukitsu | ominous; sinister; unlucky |
| 黒い | くろい kuroi | inauspicious; ill-boding; unlucky |
| 因果 | いんが inga | unfortunate; unlucky; ill-fated |
| アンラッキー | アンラッキー anrakkii | unlucky |
| 禍々しい | まがまがしい magamagashii | ominous; sinister; unlucky |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 詳細 | しょうさい shousai | details; particulars; specifics |
| 細胞 | さいぼう saibou | cell |
| 細かい | こまかい komakai | small |
| 細菌 | さいきん saikin | bacterium; bacteria; germ |
| 繊細 | せんさい sensai | dainty; delicate (e.g. fingers); fine |
See also: Chinese symbol for “unlucky”.
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.