King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “wily”

Romaji: inken
crafty; tricky; sly; wily

In Japanese, wily is , read (inken).

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 crafty; tricky; sly; wily; treacherous; underhand
  2. adj-na sinister (look)

Kanji and stroke order

shade, yin, negative
on: イン
kun: かげ、かげ.る
11 strokes · JLPT 1
precipitous, inaccessible place, impregnable position
on: ケン
kun: けわ.しい
11 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “wily”

WordReadingMeaning
わるがしこい warugashikoicunning; crafty; wily
ろうかい roukaicunning (acquired with age); astute; crafty

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
いんぼう inbouplot; intrigue; scheme
ひかげ hikageshade; shadow
いんよう in'youcosmic dual forces; yin and yang; sun and moon
いんせい inseinegative (result)
こかげ kokageshade of a tree; bower
やまかげ yamakageplace in the shade of a mountain; shelter of the mountains
きけん kikendanger; peril; hazard
ほけん hokeninsurance

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.

Last posts

  1. Are Flexible Wushu Swords Suitable for Tai Chi Forms
  2. Best Unsharpened Tai Chi Jian for Forms and Training
  3. How Heavy Should a Tai Chi Sword Be for Proper Training
  4. Best Wooden Tai Chi Swords for Training and Performance
  5. Collapsible Tai Chi Swords in Parks and Public Transit
  6. Are Telescopic Tai Chi Swords Good for Practice
  7. Best Tai Chi Swords for Beginners and How to Choose Yours
  8. Choosing the Right Tai Chi Sword Length for Your Height
  9. Choosing Your First Tai Chi Sword Wood or Metal
  10. Selecting a Bokken for Outdoor Training