Japanese symbol for “annihilation”
全滅
ぜんめつ
Romaji: zenmetsu
total destruction; complete destruction; annihilation; being wiped out
In Japanese, annihilation is 全滅, read ぜんめつ (zenmetsu).
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
- n, vi, vs total destruction; complete destruction; annihilation; being wiped out
- n, vi, vs total defeat; complete failure
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “annihilation”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 消滅 | しょうめつ shoumetsu | annihilation |
| 壊滅 | かいめつ kaimetsu | (complete) destruction; annihilation; devastation |
| 完敗 | かんぱい kanpai | (suffering a) complete defeat; utter defeat; annihilation |
| 殲滅 | せんめつ senmetsu | annihilation; extermination; (total) destruction |
| 皆殺し | みなごろし minagoroshi | massacre; annihilation; wholesale slaughter |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 全部 | ぜんぶ zenbu | all; entire; whole |
| 全員 | ぜんいん zen'in | all members; all hands; everyone |
| 安全 | あんぜん anzen | safety; security |
| 完全 | かんぜん kanzen | perfect; complete |
| 全国 | ぜんこく zenkoku | the whole country |
| 全体 | ぜんたい zentai | whole; entirety |
| 消滅 | しょうめつ shoumetsu | extinction; extinguishment; disappearance |
| 破滅 | はめつ hametsu | ruin; destruction; fall |
See also: Chinese symbol for “annihilation”.
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.