King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “cataclysm”

Romaji: hakyoku
catastrophe; cataclysm

In Japanese, cataclysm is , read (hakyoku).

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. n catastrophe; cataclysm
  2. n, vi, vs collapse (of a relationship); breakup; split (friends, lovers, etc.)

Kanji and stroke order

rend, rip, tear
on: ハ
kun: やぶ.る、やぶ.れる、わ.れる
10 strokes · JLPT 2
bureau, board, office
on: キョク
kun: つぼね
7 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “cataclysm”

WordReadingMeaning
てんぺんちい tenpenchiinatural disaster; cataclysm
だいへんかく daihenkakurevolution; cataclysm; drastic change

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
はかい hakaidestruction; disruption
とっぱ toppabreaking through; breakthrough; penetration
はさん hasanbankruptcy; insolvency
やぶる yaburuto tear; to rip; to break
はそん hasondamage; breakage
はへん hahenfragment; broken piece; splinter
けっきょく kekkyokuafter all; in the end; ultimately
とうきょく toukyokuauthorities; relevant authorities; authorities concerned

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.