Japanese symbol for “unrefined”
白い
しろい
Romaji: shiroi
white
In Japanese, unrefined is 白い, read しろい (shiroi).
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 white
- adj-i blank (e.g. paper); uncolored; unmarked; spotless; immaculate
- adj-i innocent; not guilty; pure
- adj-i bright; vivid
- adj-i inexperienced; naive; unrefined
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “unrefined”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 野暮 | やぼ yabo | boorish; unsophisticated; unrefined |
| 荒削り | あらけずり arakezuri | rough-hewn; incomplete; unrefined |
| 無骨 | ぶこつ bukotsu | boorish; unrefined; rustic |
| 粗 | そ so | coarse; rough; crude |
| ぎこちない | ぎこちない gikochinai | awkward; clumsy; stiff |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 面白い | おもしろい omoshiroi | interesting; fascinating; intriguing |
| 白人 | はくじん hakujin | white person; Caucasian |
| 告白 | こくはく kokuhaku | confession (to a crime, wrongdoing, etc.); admission |
| 紅白 | こうはく kouhaku | red and white; colours for festive or auspicious occasions (colors) |
| 明白 | めいはく meihaku | obvious; clear; plain |
See also: Chinese symbol for “unrefined”.
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.