Japanese symbol for “unusual”
異常
いじょう
Romaji: ijou
abnormal; unusual; extraordinary; remarkable
In Japanese, unusual is 異常, read いじょう (ijou).
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 abnormal; unusual; extraordinary; remarkable; uncommon
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “unusual”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 珍しい | めずらしい mezurashii | rare; uncommon; unusual |
| 奇抜 | きばつ kibatsu | (very) unusual; unconventional; eccentric |
| 異例 | いれい irei | exceptional; unusual; extraordinary |
| 型破り | かたやぶり katayaburi | unusual; unconventional; mold-breaking |
| 異様 | いよう iyou | strange; odd; peculiar |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 異性 | いせい isei | the opposite sex |
| 特異 | とくい tokui | unique; peculiar; singular |
| 異動 | いどう idou | (personnel) change; transfer; relocation |
| 異なる | ことなる kotonaru | to differ; to be different; to disagree |
| 異端 | いたん itan | heresy; nonconformism; heathenism |
| 非常 | ひじょう hijou | emergency |
| 通常 | つうじょう tsuujou | usual; ordinary; normal |
| 常に | つねに tsuneni | always; constantly; at all times |
See also: Chinese symbol for “unusual”.
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.