Japanese symbol for “bloodlust”

殺気

さっき

Romaji: sakki

thirst for blood; bloodlust; determination to kill

In Japanese, bloodlust is 殺気, read さっき (sakki).

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 thirst for blood; bloodlust; determination to kill

Kanji and stroke order

殺

kill, murder, butcher

on: サツ、サイ、セツ
kun: ころ.す、-ごろ.し、そ.ぐ、あや.める

10 strokes · JLPT 2

気

spirit, mind, air

on: キ、ケ
kun: いき、き

6 strokes · JLPT 4

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
気持ち	きもち kimochi	feeling; sensation; mood
人気	にんき ninki	popularity; public favor

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.