Japanese symbol for “wasteful”
勿体ない
もったいない
Romaji: mottainai
wasteful; a waste
In Japanese, wasteful is 勿体ない, read もったいない (mottainai).
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 wasteful; a waste
- adj-i too good; more than one deserves; unworthy of
- adj-i impious; profane; sacrilegious
Written forms: 勿体ない、勿体無い、物体ない、物体無い. Readings: もったいない.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “wasteful”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 犬 | いぬ inu | counterfeit; inferior; useless |
| 贅沢 | ぜいたく zeitaku | lavish (use of something); abundant; copious |
| 不用 | ふよう fuyou | useless; wasteful; of no use |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 勿論 | もちろん mochiron | of course; certainly; naturally |
| 勿体 | もったい mottai | superior airs; air of importance |
| 勿れ | なかれ nakare | must not; do not |
| 勿体ぶる | もったいぶる mottaiburu | to put on airs; to assume importance; to be self-important |
| 勿の論 | もちのろん mochinoron | of course; certainly; naturally |
| 全体 | ぜんたい zentai | whole; entirety |
| 団体 | だんたい dantai | group; party; team |
| 体験 | たいけん taiken | (practical) experience; personal experience; hands-on experience |
See also: Chinese symbol for “wasteful”.
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.