Japanese symbol for “bleak”
殺風景
さっぷうけい
Romaji: sappuukei
dreary; bleak; monotonous; barren
In Japanese, bleak is 殺風景, read さっぷうけい (sappuukei).
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-na, n dreary; bleak; monotonous; barren
- adj-na, n tasteless; unrefined
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “bleak”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 寒々しい | さむざむしい samuzamushii | bleak; chilly; dreary |
| 荒涼 | こうりょう kouryou | desolate; dreary; bleak |
| 寒々 | さむざむ samuzamu | bleak (e.g. room, street); desolate; empty (of furnishings) |
| 索莫 | さくばく sakubaku | dreary; bleak; desolate |
| 霜枯れ | しもがれ shimogare | nipped by frost; bleak |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 殺人 | さつじん satsujin | murder; homicide; manslaughter |
| 自殺 | じさつ jisatsu | suicide |
| 殺す | ころす korosu | to kill; to slay; to murder |
| 暗殺 | あんさつ ansatsu | assassination |
| 虐殺 | ぎゃくさつ gyakusatsu | slaughter; massacre |
| 殺し | ころし koroshi | murder; killing; murderer |
| 台風 | たいふう taifuu | typhoon; hurricane |
| 風景 | ふうけい fuukei | scenery; scene; landscape |
| 背景 | はいけい haikei | background; scenery; backdrop |
See also: Chinese symbol for “bleak”.
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.