Japanese symbol for “vexed”
悔しい
くやしい
Romaji: kuyashii
frustrated (over a failure, humiliation or injustice); annoyed; chagrined; (bitterly) disappointed
In Japanese, vexed is 悔しい, read くやしい (kuyashii).
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 frustrated (over a failure, humiliation or injustice); annoyed; chagrined; (bitterly) disappointed; bitter; vexed
Written forms: 悔しい、口惜しい、悔やしい. Readings: くやしい、くやしーい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “vexed”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 歯がゆい | はがゆい hagayui | (feeling) impatient; irritated; irritating |
| むしゃくしゃ | むしゃくしゃ mushakusha | vexed; irritated; fretful |
| 口惜しい | くちおしい kuchioshii | frustrated (over a failure, humiliation or injustice); annoyed; chagrined |
| 喧しい | やかましい yakamashii | much talked of; much-discussed; vexed |
| 苛立たしげ | いらだたしげ iradatashige | antsy; agitated; irritated |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 後悔 | こうかい koukai | regret; repentance; remorse |
| 悔い | くい kui | regret; repentance |
| 悔やむ | くやむ kuyamu | to mourn; to lament |
| 懺悔 | ざんげ zange | repentance; confession; penitence |
| 悔し泣き | くやしなき kuyashinaki | crying from vexation; tears of regret |
See also: Chinese symbol for “vexed”.
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.