King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “unsatisfactory”

Romaji: ikan
regrettable; unsatisfactory; deplorable; lamentable

In Japanese, unsatisfactory is , read (ikan).

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 regrettable; unsatisfactory; deplorable; lamentable

Kanji and stroke order

bequeath, leave behind, reserve
on: イ、ユイ
kun: のこ.す
15 strokes · JLPT 1
remorse, regret, be sorry
on: カン
kun: うら.む
16 strokes · JLPT 1

Other Japanese words for “unsatisfactory”

WordReadingMeaning
ものたりない monotarinaiunsatisfied; unsatisfactory; insufficient in some way
なし nashiunacceptable; not alright; unsatisfactory
かたほ katahoimperfect; incomplete; unsatisfactory
おもわしくない omowashikunaidisappointing; unsatisfactory; unsuitable
いにみたない inimitanaiunsatisfactory

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
いさん isaninheritance; bequest; legacy
いたい itai(dead) body; corpse; remains
いせき iseki(archeological) remains; ruins; relics
いでん idenheredity; (genetic) inheritance
いでんし idenshigene
ゆいごん yuigonwill; testament; one's dying wish
いかんなく ikannakufully; to the full; (most) satisfactorily
いかんせんばん ikansenbanextremely regrettable; deeply unfortunate; most disappointing

See also: Chinese symbol for “unsatisfactory”.

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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