Japanese symbol for “break”
壊す
こわす
Romaji: kowasu
to break; to destroy; to demolish
In Japanese, break is 壊す, read こわす (kowasu).
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
- v5s, vt to break; to destroy; to demolish
- v5s, vt to wreck; to ruin; to spoil; to damage
- v5s, vt to break (a bill, etc.)
Written forms: 壊す、毀す. Readings: こわす.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “break”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 休憩 | きゅうけい kyuukei | rest; break; recess |
| 中断 | ちゅうだん chuudan | interruption; suspension; break |
| 折る | おる oru | to break; to fracture; to break off |
| 合間 | あいま aima | interval; break; pause |
| 破る | やぶる yaburu | to tear; to rip; to break |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 破壊 | はかい hakai | destruction; disruption |
| 崩壊 | ほうかい houkai | collapse; crumbling; breaking down |
| 壊れる | こわれる kowareru | to be broken; to break; to fall apart |
| 壊滅 | かいめつ kaimetsu | (complete) destruction; annihilation; devastation |
| 倒壊 | とうかい toukai | destruction; collapse; crumbling |
See also: Chinese symbol for “break”.
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.