King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “unwise”

Romaji: mazui
bad(-tasting); unpalatable; unsavoury; unsavory

In Japanese, unwise is , read (mazui).

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-i bad(-tasting); unpalatable; unsavoury; unsavory; awful; terrible
  2. adj-i poor; unskillful; unskilful; bungling; clumsy
  3. adj-i ugly; unattractive; homely; plain
  4. adj-i awkward; problematic; troublesome; unfavorable; unfavourable; unwise
  5. int oh no; uh-oh; this is bad

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

negative, non-, bad
on: フ、ブ
4 strokes · JLPT 3
flavor, taste
on: ミ
kun: あじ、あじ.わう
8 strokes · JLPT 3

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
ふめい fumeiunclear; obscure; indistinct
ふあん fuananxiety; uneasiness; worry
ふそく fusokuinsufficiency; deficiency; shortage
ふまん fumandissatisfaction; discontent; displeasure
ふかのう fukanouimpossible
ふしぎ fushigiwonderful; marvelous; strange
いみ imimeaning; significance; sense
きょうみ kyoumiinterest (in something); curiosity (about something); zest (for)

See also: Chinese symbol for “unwise”.

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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