Japanese symbol for “unnatural”
無理
むり
Romaji: muri
unreasonable; unnatural; unjustifiable
In Japanese, unnatural is 無理, read むり (muri).
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 unreasonable; unnatural; unjustifiable
- adj-na, n impossible
- adj-na, n forcible; forced; compulsory
- adj-na excessive (work, etc.); immoderate
- vi, vs to work too hard; to try too hard
- int no way; not a chance; never; dream on
Written forms: 無理. Readings: むり、ムリ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “unnatural”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 不自然 | ふしぜん fushizen | unnatural; artificial; affected |
| 人工的 | じんこうてき jinkouteki | artificial; unnatural |
| 人為的 | じんいてき jin'iteki | artificial; unnatural; human-caused (e.g. mistake, error, disaster) |
| 態とらしい | わざとらしい wazatorashii | unnatural; affected; studied |
| ざーとらしい | ざーとらしい zaatorashii | unnatural; affected; studied |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 無料 | むりょう muryou | free (of charge); gratuitous |
| 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 |
| 理由 | りゆう riyuu | reason; grounds; pretext |
| 理解 | りかい rikai | understanding; comprehension; appreciation |
| 管理 | かんり kanri | control; management (e.g. of a business) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “unnatural”.
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.